The Trust in the Terror
by FictionWriter91
Summary: Seeley Booth is about to return home from war when one last request is asked of him. What was supposed to be an easy mission turned into terror and chaos. Booth then makes a decision, and he returns to DC, bringing the chances of being followed by an angry terrorist along with him. AU Season 6. Instead of bringing home Hannah, Booth brings home someone else.
1. Cleopatra

**I'm back with another story. I've been working on this for a while now, and I've debated posting it because I don't know if it's any good. But, I am seriously considering not writing anymore once all my stories are completed, so I wanted to post this and finish it before that happens. Anyway, I hope you like it. There is a small graphic scene, but that's it otherwise.**

 **On a side note, this story is going to be like a 007, Mission Impossible, or any other action film that you see where the hero manages to survive all sorts of beatings, falls, wounds, or any other unbelievable stunt they pull, so if it seems unrealistic, that's the point lol XD**

* * *

Seeley Booth sensed the turbulence long before it even happened. Then, right on cue, the plane rustled and shook, making Cleo gasp and clutch the armrests. Her eyes were squeezed shut.

"It's all right," Booth reassured her.

"I don't think we're ever going to get back safely," Cleo said, her eyes still shut.

"We will."

"And then what?"

"We'll figure it out."

Cleo had no response to this. She turned to look out the window instead at the inky blackness of the sky. They had four more hours until they reached America. Four more hours of this horrible flight. Booth didn't know what to say to reassure her. Instead, he put his focus on Brennan. This would be his first time seeing her in seven months. They had had no correspondence at all, and he didn't know what she was thinking or feeling. They had left on an awkward note. He had recently professed his feelings for her, and she had shot him down flat. Being back over at war took it all away for a little while, but like everything, it started to creep back in no matter how hard he tried not to think about it.

"I'll stay with you?" Cleo asked, confirming.

"Yes. You will live with me," Booth answered. Cleo nodded slowly. He could tell she was still processing everything that had happened in the last 30 hours.

"Will we be safe?"

"Of course."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I just am."

Cleo finally stopped peppering him with questions and leaned back in her seat. Booth closed his eyes then, resting his head on the back of the headrest. How had he gotten here? What had he gotten himself into? These questions swirled around in his brain. The most important one was: What was Brennan going to think about this?

 _ **30 Hours Earlier**_

"Sargeant Major," a voice said, making Booth open his eyes. His boss was standing in front of him. Thomas.

"Yea?"

"I need a favor. A big one."

"What's that?"

"There's this family from the US here on their way to an important meeting. They need security."

"Who are they?"

"It's Ambassador Lavine. And his wife and child."

"What? Why would he bring his family here?!"

"They're going on holiday after this. He was doing a favor for back home before embarking to Italy."

"I see."

"Can you do it?"

"Of course I can do it. I believe the correct way to ask is..."

"Will you do it?" Thomas asked, cutting him off and getting impatient.

"Yes," Booth smiled. He stood up from his seat. It beat sitting around and thinking about Brennan all day. Things were winding down as it was, and he was anticipating going home within the week.

"I've got Jenkins, Rodriguez, and Simmons going with you."

"Perfect. They out front?"

"Yes. Ready to go."

"I'm on it," Booth said, collecting his weapons and to-go pack sack. He settled his helmet loosely on his head for now until he was ready to tighten it in place. He met the three boys out front.

"Does this seem like too easy of a mission to you?" Jenkins asked.

"So what if it is?" Simmons challenged. "It's better than going out hunting for land mines."

"All right, listen up," Booth said, taking charge. "What's the game plan?"

"We don't have one," Rodriguez admitted. Booth sighed loudly.

"Great. Give me the details, and I'll whip something up."

 ** _Now_**

Booth mildly wondered if things would have gone differently if he hadn't been asked to do such a simple mission. Cleo was trying to self-soothe beside him. She hated flying. She made that very clear when they boarded and warned him that he was in for a long flight. She hadn't been kidding.

"Are we still doing okay over here?" the flight attendant asked kindly. Booth looked at Cleo, who nodded sullenly.

"Seem to be," he answered. "Thanks."

"If I can get you anything, let me know."

"We will."

Booth felt Cleo shift in her seat so that she was facing away from him. He understood why she was so upset. Hell, he was still upset. None of this felt real. Every time he shut his eyes, all he could see was the chaos. The blood. He was going to have to talk to Sweets a lot to get over this one.

 _ **25 Hours Earlier**_

"Hello, I'm so pleased to have you as my security," Ambassador Lavine smiled. Booth shook his hand.

"Glad to be here," Booth nodded. "So, who are you meeting?"

"Ah, I'm afraid I can't disclose that," Lavine said with a more grim looking smile now.

"Is your family here?" Booth asked, looking around.

"They are in the car. We're driving to the airport after this detour," Lavine answered.

"Mind if I ride with you?" Booth asked.

"I don't see why not. Come along, then."

Booth followed the Ambassador to his SUV.

"This is my wife, Shelley," Lavine said, grinning. "She's the one who keeps me in line."

"Damn straight," Shelley chimed in, winking.

"This is our daughter, Cleo."

"Is that short for Cleopatra?" Booth questioned, curious.

"Yes, but she does not like the full name. Just Cleo is fine."

"Pleased to meet you," Cleo said from the backseat. She was maybe eleven years old.

"You okay in the back with her? She doesn't bite," Lavine joked.

"We'll get along just fine," Booth grinned. He hopped in beside Cleo, and Lavine got into the driver's seat.

"No driver?" Booth asked as they started along.

"Nah. I actually enjoy driving," Lavine replied.

"What's your name?" Cleo asked.

"Sargeant Major Seeley Booth."

"Seeley? That's a funny name."

"That's why I go by Booth."

"Who goes by their last name?"

"Cleo," Shelley said sharply. "Be nice."

"It's all right. It's just something I've always done," Booth shrugged. "Why don't you go by Cleopatra?"

"Because I get picked on," Cleo answered. Booth saw in his team following behind them carefully.

"That's too bad. Cleopatra is a very nice name. It's also a famous one."

"Yea. I know."

"Any kids, Booth?" Lavine asked, looking at him in the mirror.

"Just one. My son, Parker."

"Is that his last name or first name?" Cleo asked, being a smart mouth.

"First."

"It sounds like a last name."

"It was. It's a long story."

"Then I guess I'll never find out."

"Probably not."

Cleo stopped talking then and looked out the window. Booth felt an unease in the pit of his stomach suddenly. He wasn't sure what it meant. He hoped it was nothing.

 _ **Now**_

"Tell me a story," Cleo whispered. Booth looked at her.

"About what?"

"Anything."

"All right. Let me think," Booth said. He had no idea what story to tell her. What was going to make an eleven year old feel better? He wracked his brain, starting to panic. How was he going to look after this kid if he couldn't even come up with a story?! He contemplated telling her about Teddy, but that was too much and too sad for this moment.

"I got it," he said finally. "There once was three billy goats..."

"Heard it," Cleo interrupted. "When I was like, five."

"You said anything," Booth argued. Cleo's eyes started to well up then, and he knew straight away who had told her that story before. She was very up and down with her emotions. That came with shock from the type of scene she witnessed.

"Okay, okay. There once was this forensic anthropologist who stole a man's heart."

"I'm listening," Cleo said, wiping at her eyes.

"She was smart and beautiful and knew very little about making jokes."

Cleo listened as he went on about this woman, but she was barely registering most of what he was saying. She could still hear the screams in her ears. She could still see what she saw. She knew Booth was trying, but she didn't know if she was ever going to feel better again.

 _ **24 Hours Earlier**_

"We are here," Lavine said, stopping the car. He turned back to look at Cleo while Booth unbuckled and got out.

"Do you have to go?" Cleo asked.

"Yes. Stay here with Mom. I'll be back shortly."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Okay, we're all clear," Booth said, listening to his team's area sweep report.

"Good. I'll be just a moment."

"I'm coming with you."

"That won't be necessary."

"You hired security," Booth argued. "I'm going in there with you."

"The security was for my wife and child," Lavine said calmly.

"Well, my guys have eyes on them. I'm with you."

"How kind. All right, then, you may enter with me." Lavine led the way, and Booth felt even more that he didn't like what was going to take place here.

"Who is this?" an armed man asked, gesturing to Booth.

"My security. Let us pass," Lavine ordered. The man moved out of the way, but not before giving Booth the once over. Booth stared back, not intimidated.

"Ah, Ambassador, you made it," a tall man said, turning to face them. Booth took in this man's appearance. He was a little frail looking with sandy hair and blue eyes.

"I did."

"We can finish these negotiations, no?"

"Absolutely."

Booth watched as Lavine and the man sat down together, dropping their voices. Booth stood guard at the door. He wasn't sure just what exactly he was watching here. He didn't have much time to think about it.

"Shots fired!" Simmons's voice shouted in his ear.

"Watch your six!" Rodriguez shrieked. The gunshots echoed outside, causing Lavine, the tall man, and his security team to look in the direction of the outdoors.

"What is going on here?" Lavine demanded.

"A negotiation that was too late in the making," the tall man whispered.

"Wha-?!" Lavine started when the tall man fired his hidden pistol into Lavine's chest. Booth sprang into action, but it was too late. The doorman had come up behind Booth and hit him hard in the back of the head before firing a round into Booth's torso. The bullet proof vest did well to stop most of the damage, but Booth was still stunned and knocked to the ground.

"Get the girl," the tall man ordered. "Dispose of the rest."

"Yes, sir."

Booth heard the screaming outside then, and he knew it was Shelley and Cleo. Every instinct told him to get up, to defend, but another instinct told him to play dead.

"FRANK!" Shelley screamed, now in the building and seeing Lavine on the floor dead.

"What did I tell you?" the tall man asked, annoyed. "I said the girl."

"This is only girl," the one soldier responded, confused.

"Got her," the second soldier said, hauling Cleo into the room. She was crying and swearing and screaming.

"You see, Mrs. Lavine," the tall man said. "This is what happens when you don't listen to me."

"NOOOO!" Cleo howled then, finally seeing her father on the floor. Booth's mind was racing. He had to get up. He had to do something. His head was throbbing something fierce, though, and his gut was very sore from the shot. He calculated four soldiers plus the tall man. He had a very sinking feeling that his three men were outside dead. It was all up to him.

"Silence, girl!" the tall man roared, making them both shake.

"You can't have her," Shelley said, getting worked up. "Over my dead body!"

"That can be arranged," the tall man said, aiming and firing. Booth would never forget Cleo's reaction to this. Ever. He was trying to stay focused, to not become emotional himself. _Save the girl. Save the girl. Save the girl_.

"Come along then," the tall man said, gesturing. The two soldiers had to pick Cleo up kicking and screaming to follow him. Booth caught the two stragglers. They were unprepared since they thought he was dead. He made quick work of them and hauled ass after the others. He shot one in the leg, making him howl and drop his half of Cleo. Booth shot him again quickly, killing him. The other soldier whirled around to face Booth, and Booth managed to shoot around the squirming Cleo and strike the shoulder in the chest above his heart. Cleo hit the ground hard as he collapsed dead, and Booth raced over to her. The tall man was nowhere in sight, but that didn't mean he wasn't far away.

"Come on," Booth urged, moving to pick her up.

"No!" she shrieked, yanking away. He clapped a hand over her mouth.

"If you want to get out of here alive, you'll stop screaming," Booth said harshly. "That's an order." Cleo nodded finally. Booth took her hand in his and ran back to where the SUV was. If he was lucky, it might still be intact. When he saw the car sitting there untouched, he threw a prayer of thanks to God. He hurriedly got Cleo into the backseat and jumped into the driver's seat. Bullets hit the back window, shattering it as they pealed away. Cleo screamed again.

"On the floor!" Booth ordered. "Now!" She obeyed, curling up in a ball on the floor of the car. The bullets stopped as he got farther away, and Booth knew that he only had so much time before the manhunt for this girl would begin. He had to get her out of the country.

 _ **Now**_

One hour to landing. Booth felt his palms sweating. He had no idea what he was doing. All he knew was that some terrorist wanted Cleo. For what, he had no idea. It was going to take some FBI work to figure it out. He didn't even have any names to go on. He hoped Caroline had gotten a team to Lavine's home to collect evidence.

"Does it hurt?" Cleo asked, pointing to his torso. He had been looked at by a medic and wrapped up, but the bullet wound wasn't very bad. It would heal.

"A little, but it's not my first time getting shot," Booth answered.

"I still see them," Cleo said, her voice barely a whisper. Her eyes were far away.

"I know you do. I know a great therapist when we get to D.C.," Booth promised. "He'll help you get through this."

"You're not going to leave me are you?" Cleo asked, getting panicked again.

"No, no, no. I'm not leaving you. I made a promise. Hey, look at me," Booth said, making her look at him. "I made you a promise that I will keep you safe until this is over."

"And then what? I go into the system?" she asked, tearing up again.

"Let's not cross that bridge right now, okay?"

"But I will..."

"My best friend is a foster parent. I'll get her to take you in."

"Why can't I just stay with you?"

"I'm not a foster parent."

"So adopt me."

"We're getting way ahead of ourselves here," Booth said, putting on the brakes for this conversation.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled.

"It's okay. One day at a time, all right?"

"'Kay."

Booth desperately hoped that the FBI found something. He needed to hit the ground running on this one.

 _ **18 Hours Earlier**_

"We have to get the hell out of here," Booth said angrily, jabbing his finger in the direction of his shelter. "She is wanted here. They will be looking for her. I need to get her on a plane and away from here."

"She won't be safe anywhere, Booth," Thomas said, furrowing his brow.

"She will. She's staying with me."

"You can't do that..."

"I can. Watch me. I'm FBI. We use evidence, and right now, she is evidence. She's also in danger."

"How are you gonna fly out of here? They'll be watching."

"So take me to a private jet and fly me to a different country so we can leave from there. I don't know! I don't care how it's done, just do it," Booth ordered, slamming his hands on the table. His eyes were fierce. He'd just left a hysterically crying eleven year old on his bunk with the promise that he was going to keep her safe, that she could trust him.

"All right. Leave it with me."

"Thank you."

Booth went back to Cleo, who was now sitting up and hugging her knees.

"What's going to happen to me?" she asked, afraid.

"You're coming to D.C. with me," Booth answered. "I work with the FBI. I'm going to solve this case, keep you safe, and end this terror for you."

"You're making some really big promises," Cleo pointed out, still sniffing and crying a little.

"I need you to trust me," Booth said. "Can you do that?" There was a pause for a moment while Cleo took this in. Then, she nodded.

"I can."

"Good. I'm very good at my job."

"You're bleeding," she said suddenly, pointing. Booth looked down.

"Ah, shit," he muttered. In all the adrenaline rush, he'd forgotten he'd been shot.

"Are you okay?!" Cleo asked, panicking. "Are you going to die?!"

"No, no. It's a flesh wound. I'll got get fixed up, and we'll get out of here. Okay?"

"Okay."

Booth went to the medic tent where he was immediately looked at. As they bandaged him up, he couldn't help but wonder just what he'd gotten himself into.

 _ **16 Hours Earlier**_

It had taken them almost two hours, but they had made it to an airport in one piece. The plane was swept and was clean. Booth boarded with Cleo, who was shaking like a leaf.

"It's going to be all right," Booth promised.

"I h-hate flying," she stuttered. "I get really s-sick. You're in for a long flight, Mr. Booth."

"Just Booth is fine," Booth said. She promptly threw up.

"Oh dear," the flight attendant said, coming over quickly. "Nervous are we? Here, let's get you cleaned up." She went to pull Cleo when Booth stood up.

"I'll take her," he said.

"Sir, I'm quite capable of cleaning up a child..."

"I don't care if you're the damn pope. You're not going anywhere alone with her," Booth said, giving her a steely glare.

"Okay. Come this way then," the woman said, shooting him a fearful look.

"Don't let go," Cleo said, gripping his hand.

"I won't. I'm right here," he reassured her. The flight attendant's eyes softened a little then, taking in this sight.

"You really do care about her," she noted.

"Of course," Booth said. "You can't trust just anyone with your kid." She nodded knowingly.

"I'm sorry for being inconsiderate," she said.

"I'm sorry I snapped. Can we clean her up now, please?"

"Of course."

 _ **Now**_

"My ears," Cleo moaned as the plane descended. They were here. Booth braced for impact, and once they hit the landing, he relaxed his muscles a little. Then he tensed again. He had to keep this girl safe, and he didn't even know from who. Everyone was a suspect. He wasn't going to let her out of his sight. He was going to find that tall man and learn the truth. It was the only way Cleo would ever stand a chance at having a semi normal life again. His last thought as the plane slowed to a stop was of what Brennan's reaction to his decision was going to be and whether or not she was going to help.

* * *

 **Should I continue?**


	2. What Now?

**I'm so glad this was well received! I am going to say, though, this chapter deals with some dark subject matter. You've been warned.**

* * *

Brennan picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder, setting off from the airport to the waiting cab. She was anticipating her reunion with Booth, and she didn't know what was going to happen. She had found herself thinking about him a lot while she was on Maluku, and she discovered that she perhaps she had been too quick to shut him down when he'd tried to nudge their partnership into something more. On more than a few occasions, Daisy had asked her what she had been dreaming about that caused her to moan so loudly, and Brennan would flush in response and not reply. Brennan's fear that prevented her from taking the risk was mocking her now and barraging her with all the "what ifs" that could be taking place if she had said yes to his proposal. She had no reason to expect him to still be single. He had said that he had to move on if she wasn't going to go for it. This was causing her some anxiety now. She was fully preparing herself for him to tell her he'd met someone and was in love. Seven months was a long time apart. They were supposed to meet where they'd said goodbye, and she arrived there now, pacing back and forth with anticipation. After almost half an hour, she finally sat, desolated. He wasn't coming. Was he all right? Had he forgotten? Did he just not want to? She played with the handle of her bag absently. She'd give him twenty more minutes before leaving. Surely he'd still come.

 **Booth**

He looked at his watch repeatedly until Cleo asked him what was so damn important. For a young girl, she definitely knew how to use foul language appropriately. They were in the interrogation room, and Booth had remembered amidst everything that he was supposed to meet Brennan on this day at their spot at this time.

"I'm supposed to meet someone," he said. "And I have no way of telling them I'm not coming."

"And if you don't go, you lose all chances of love," Cleo finished.

"Wha-no," he shook his head. The only reason he knew Brennan was back as well was because Angela had texted. Ten times to be exact.

"Liar."

Booth bit back his response. This kid was very sharply focused on everything right now. He was at the office waiting for Caroline to bring him some good news. Then he was taking Cleo home and panicking about what the future was even going to hold.

"Okay," Booth said, releasing the air from his mouth. "I guess we should get on with this."

"My interrogation? By all means," Cleo gestured. "I didn't just see my father shot on the ground and watch my mother get murdered in front of me barely 24 hours ago."

"It's called a statement," Booth said. "I'm sorry, but we need to have it."

"Fine. You were there, though. You saw it all. You already know."

"Yes, but that's my perspective. They want yours."

"Why?"

"To help catch the guy who did it."

"You probably won't get him."

"You seem very sure about that."

"I'm just being realistic. That, and I watch the news."

"Are you ever a kid? Or have you always been a mini grown up?"

Cleo grew somber then, fiddling with her fingers.

"I had to grow up pretty fast, Mr. Booth," she said softly. Booth stiffened at this. What could she possibly mean?

"All right," he said. "Let's start with the most obvious fact here. Your parents were Caucasian, and you're not."

"You're correct. I am Egyptian," she nodded. She flicked her brown, gold flecked eyes at him then.

"Care to elaborate a little more?"

"My parents adopted me. Did you really need me to spell that out for you?"

"When were you adopted?" Booth asked, making notes.

"I was nine," she replied quietly. He looked at her, sensing a lot of pain in her past. This wasn't going to be easy.

"Sorry to interrupt, cherie, but I need you," Caroline said, sticking her head into the room.

"Sorry, Cleo. I'll be back," Booth said, getting up.

"Take your time," Cleo responded. "I'm not going anywhere."

"What did you find?" Booth asked Caroline.

"A whole lot of bad," Caroline hissed. "Cherie, you have no idea what Mr. Ambassador was into."

"So fill me in," Booth said impatiently. He looked through the glass at Cleo sitting there staring at her own hands like they were something foreign and new.

"Booth, he made frequent trips to different areas of the world where...where..."

"Where what? Spit it out," Booth ordered.

"Brothels," she whispered, putting a hand to her mouth. It took Booth three seconds to get what she was implying.

"Oh God," he breathed. He shoved past her.

"Wait..." Caroline called after him, but he ignored her. He went back into the interrogation room and stared at Cleo. She looked up at him slowly.

"She told you," Cleo said calmly.

"Why don't you tell me how you got to be with the Ambassador and his wife?" Booth redirected.

Cleo drew in a shaky breath and released it.

"He found me," she said simply.

"Where?"

"Mumbai."

"How did you get there?" Booth asked as calmly as he could. He was shaking with rage inside. If he could find the bastards who did this to her, he'd rip them to shreds.

"My real parents were killed, and I was sold," she replied. "We were holidaying, and they saw us at the beach. They wanted me. They waited until dark when we were sleeping. The gunshots woke me up. By then, they were gone. They took me to a place with other girls my age and some older. I...I really don't want to share anymore."

"It's all right. You don't have to. You must have been terrified," Booth said softly.

"I was. I was eight. I had no idea what they were doing with me," she whispered. She bowed her head so that her shoulder length black hair covered her face. Booth felt like his voice was trapped in his throat. He couldn't even begin to imagine. His own son was currently nine years old. How she was even standing right now without falling apart was incredible.

"That explains some things," Booth noted. She nodded. When Shelley had been shot, Cleo had lost it, but was that because she cared for Shelley or was it because she'd never seen someone get murdered like that before?

"I loved Shelley," Cleo said quietly, reading his mind. "She was a good mother who did everything to make me happy and spent time with me, but she had no idea what was going on after dark."

"So Frank Lavine stole you from Mumbai. That must have upset somebody."

"I guess so. I don't know. He brought me here, said I was adopted and that I was safe. Well, it was his version of safe," Cleo added with a soft chuckle. Booth didn't get how she could be so casual right now. He wanted to flip his shit. Frank had twisted her version of what a healthy relationship was supposed to look like. It explained her reaction to seeing him dead now too. Booth had seen that it wasn't a true, genuine shriek of terror when she laid eyes on his body. It had been acted out very realistically, though. Sweets would know more about the abuser/victim relationship dynamic.

"Did you recognize the man from Afghanistan?" Booth asked.

"No."

"Do you know what Frank was doing there?"

"No."

"Okay. I think that's a wrap for today," Booth said. He turned off the recording and sat back in his chair. Cleo finally looked at him again.

"Now you see what a disgusting being I really am," she whispered.

"No," Booth said. "No, no, no. _No_. This isn't your fault. Those men...it's their fault, you hear me? You are not disgusting. You are a child who was used by disgusting men. Cleo, you are safe now, okay? And I really mean that from the bottom of my heart. No one is ever going to touch you or hurt you ever again. Okay?" Her eyes filled up with tears then.

"I hear what you're saying, but I don't know if I can believe it," she cried. Booth knew he couldn't bring her home with him then, not by herself. He needed to build her trust, but he also couldn't risk letting her out of his sight if people were after her. He wasn't sure if the traffickers were after her or if it was a whole other thing the Ambassador had been into that went down in Afghanistan. He'd have to do more digging.

 **Brennan**

He wasn't coming. She had to give up. She picked up her bag and went home somberly. He didn't come. What did that mean? She resisted contacting Sweets or Angela to see if they'd spoken to him. When she got to her apartment, she suddenly felt how empty it was. There was a message on her machine, so she clicked play when she passed, setting her bag down and taking her coat off.

"Bones, it's me," Booth's voice said. "I know we were supposed to meet. I...something came up. Can you come to the office as soon as you get this? I really need to talk to you about something." The machine clicked off, and Brennan stared at it. Why didn't he just call her cell phone? She looked and realized that he had tried. Six times to be exact. There were voicemails too. She had forgotten to turn her phone off of flight mode.

"Damn it," she muttered. Curse her own stupidity! She hurried out the door and headed for Booth's office. His voice sounded urgent, and she hoped he was all right.

 **Booth**

Cleo was sitting and talking to Caroline a bit further about what had happened to her. Legally, Caroline had to report to Social Services, but Booth made it very clear Cleo wasn't going anywhere. Caroline agreed and said she would explain to them what was going on.

"Booth?" Brennan's voice said, making him look up from his desk. The sight of her took his breath away. All his stuffed down feelings popped right back to the surface. Who was he kidding, saying he had to move on? He could never move on, even if it meant suffering for the rest of his life.

"Bones," he said struggling to his feet and moving around his desk to hug her. With her arms wrapped around him, he felt like things could be figured out, that this case would get solved.

"What's happened? You sounded anxious on the message," she said after they pulled apart. His scent made her feel wobbly on her feet. She just fully realized how much she actually missed him. It was almost scary.

"Something happened over there, and now...now I've got to finish it over here," Booth started to explain.

"You have to give me more details than that," Brennan said, resisting the urge to chuckle at his ideation that she'd just figure out what he was talking about.

"I went on a mission. It went very badly..."

"Wait, are you hurt?" she asked, beginning to examine him.

"Flesh wound," he waved it off.

"What?!"

"Focus, will you?! My mission went bad, and I had to rescue someone."

"Who?"

"Mr. Booth? Caroline is finished with me," Cleo said at the door. Both Brennan and Booth swung to face her.

"Cleo," Booth said, clapping his hands together. "Perfect timing. This is, uh, Dr. Temperance Brennan."

"Nice to meet you," Cleo said, offering her hand.

"Oh," Brennan said, taken aback. She shook it. "Nice to meet you too."

"Cleo is here under my protection, but something has come up, and I need your help."

"You need my help?" Brennan asked, confused.

"Yes."

"With what? Are there remains for me to look at?"

"No."

"Is she the forensic anthropologist from your story?" Cleo asked, intrigued.

"Story?" Brennan asked, looking at Booth.

"Ah, no," Booth lied. "Different one."

"You do realize you suck the one side of your cheek when you're lying, right?" Cleo pointed out.

"I do not," Booth argued, ensuring his tongue was dead center in his mouth.

"You do," Brennan agreed. "But that's beside the point right now. What do you need me to do?"

"Cleo? Can you just give us a minute?" Booth asked.

"I can just tell her," Cleo offered.

"No, no. It's not about that. It's something else."

"Oh. Okay."

"Booth! Brennan! You're back!" Sweets exclaimed, sticking his head into the door.

"Perfect timing! Dr. Sweets, can you sit with Cleo here for a bit? I need to discuss something with Bones."

"Bones?" Cleo asked.

"Um, sure?" Sweets said, confused.

"He's the psychologist I was telling you about," Booth said to Cleo.

"I'm not talking to him about it," Cleo warned.

"That's fine. Just go sit with him, okay?"

"Fine."

"Booth, what is going on?" Brennan asked once they had left. Booth shut the door and sighed loudly, turning to face her.

"I can't be alone with her," he blurted out.

"Why not?"

"She...she's a victim of sex trafficking, Bones, and if she stays alone with me at my apartment...it just won't end well," he finished.

"She knows you won't hurt her, though," Brennan pointed out.

"That doesn't matter. I want her to feel safe."

"So...what do you need me for?"

"I need you to stay with us until I figure out how to solve this."

"You're asking me to live with you?" Brennan confirmed.

"Yes."

"I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because..." Brennan trailed off. _It would be too hard. I'd want to eventually crawl into your bed..._

"Because...?" Booth echoed, holding his hands together and searching her face.

"It just doesn't seem like a good idea."

"None of this is good, but I need you, Bones. I need you to help me with this. Please?"

"Booth..."

"Just say yes. I'll do everything. You just have to sit there with us so we're not alone."

"You're being ridiculous."

"No, I'm not."

They did a stare down, and Brennan could see the fear and anxiety in Booth's eyes pleading with her.

"Okay," Brennan finally caved. "Fine. I'll come live with you. This is definitely not what I was expecting."

"Me either, but it's happening, okay? Just go with it," Booth said.

"I am...under your pressuring," she noted.

"I'm sorry. I'm just...it's been a long two days, and I'm exhausted, and I have no idea what I've stepped into."

"Are we leaving now?"

"Yes. It's late, and I need to shower, and she needs sleep. Tomorrow I'm going to see Angela with her to have her draw a face we saw over there. It's going to help us get him."

"Okay."

"I really do appreciate this, Bones," Booth said, touching her arm lightly. She shivered.

"I'm sure you'd do it for me," Brennan nodded. He smiled finally. He wasn't exactly sure how to handle her in his apartment all the time, but he would figure it out.

"I talked to the Social Services," Caroline said, coming into the office. "They're fine knowing that you're FBI and friends with a registered foster parent."

"Good," Booth said, relieved.

"Oh, and one more thing," Caroline said, pointing in the direction of Cleo. "That girl out there? She's thirteen."

"She's...what?" Booth asked. "I thought she was eleven."

"Thirteen. Small for her age," Caroline tutted. "Poor thing. The hell she must have seen and endured. I wish I could get my hands on the people who did this to her."

"Me too," Booth agreed as she walked away. He hated child crimes and abuse of any kind. It twisted his stomach into knots.

"Are we leaving now?" Brennan asked, cutting into his thoughts.

"Huh? Yes," Booth nodded. He grabbed his phone and keys and pocketed them. They went out to find a very stunned looking Sweets with Cleo sitting beside him talking.

"Ready?" Booth asked, stopping in front of them.

"Yup," Cleo answered. She hopped up and started walking. She hadn't expected to tell Sweets what happened to her, but he had a way of wrangling it out of her. Whether or not he could handle it, that wasn't her call.

"She...that...I...oh my God," Sweets said to Booth as Brennan followed Cleo.

"Yea, I get it," Booth said, clapping his back and starting to move along.

"I want to see her. As a therapist," Sweets said. "Trauma like that...if I can treat her before she gets older, she'll have a better life."

"I'll ask her."

"I really, highly suggest it," Sweets said.

"I said I'd ask her," Booth repeated. "See you tomorrow." He left Sweets sitting there rubbing his knees with his hands and looking like he was going to throw up.

...

Once Booth had Cleo set up in his guest room/Parker's room, she was out like a light. He returned to the living room where Brennan was sitting and joined her on the couch.

"She's asleep?"

"Yea."

"How did this all happen?" Brennan asked.

"I got called on a mission."

"You said that part already. How did she end up with you?"

"I really don't want to delve into that, Bones. It'll only upset you."

"If I'm going to be living here, I need to know everything, Booth," she said, leveling him with a steady stare. He swallowed.

"All right," he finally caved. "I'll tell you." And he did. He told her everything. She visibly tightened when he told her about being attacked and shot, and she got wet eyes when he explained how Cleo's adopted mother was killed.

"And the story about the anthropologist you told her?" she pressed.

"It was just about some of our antics, nothing else."

"I see."

She felt disappointed somehow, that perhaps he had told this girl he had feelings for her or something. Maybe it was wishful thinking on her part.

"That girl is so...tough," Booth finished. "I don't know how else to explain it. How does someone experience all that for five years and be so strong?"

"It helped her survive," Brennan answered calmly. "That's how she gets through every single day."

"But...God," Booth said, running his hand through his hair. "I don't understand why this happens to people. To _children_."

"I don't understand it either," Brennan said, taking his hand gently in hers. She knew he was distressed and greatly bothered by all of this and the fact he hadn't been able to save this girl before any of this happened to her.

"I have to shower," Booth said. "I also have to sleep, but I don't know if it'll actually happen."

"Adrenaline from the mission," Brennan nodded knowingly. He got up then, tugging off his shirt as he walked towards the bathroom. Brennan watched, transfixed. Had he actually just done that? Did he forget she was there?

"Whatever you need, just take, okay?" Booth said, appearing in the hallway again.

 _Can I take you?_ she thought. She saw the bandage on his torso then. For some reason, the image of him being shot entered her mind and greatly disturbed her. She stood, moving towards him.

"What?" he asked.

"You probably shouldn't remove that bandaging yet," she said, trying to make her voice sound less hoarse. What was the matter with her?

"Right," he nodded. "I'll cover it up with something. Thanks, Bones." He turned to go into the bathroom when she saw the bruising on the back of his neck.

"Booth," she said urgently. She couldn't help it, she reached out to touch him. He turned his head, feeling pain under her fingertips. He placed his hand on top of hers, trying to get the sense of where she was touching. The shock from feeling her fingers under his was enough to make him feel like he was running out of air.

"That's from the end of the gun hitting me," Booth explained once he figured it out and got his voice back.

"That's where he hit you?" she asked, incredulous.

"Well...yea," he answered, puzzled.

"You didn't say that was where. You only said he attacked you then shot you."

"Oh...I'm sorry, Bones. Yea, he hit me in the back of the head."

"And you didn't get checked for a concussion?!"

"I was playing dead and escaping a country, Bones. There wasn't exactly time to hail a medic," Booth said, annoyed. He softened then, realizing she was only concerned about him.

"You're right. I'm sorry for thinking irrationally," Brennan said.

"It's not irrational, just not feasible," Booth corrected. "I woke up though, didn't I? So all good. No concussion. No severe injury." Brennan forced her fingers to leave his skin alone, and he shut the bathroom door after starting the shower. She walked back to the couch, her mind ablaze. How the hell was she going to survive living here without eventually revealing that she wanted him?


	3. Files & Bones

**Thank you all for being so interested and wanting me to continue! It warms my heart. Here is another chapter :)**

* * *

Cleo woke in a strange room in a strange bed, and she immediately started to panic. Then she screamed. She leapt out of the bed and pressed herself against the wall, still screaming.

"What's wrong?!" Booth shouted, crashing into her room. Her scream made him feel as though they were back over there when Shelley had been murdered. His whole body was on alert. His bursting into her room made her yell and shriek even louder. He finally saw her and her facial expression, the way she was clutching herself in a protective way.

"She's either having a flashback or a panic attack," Brennan said, hurrying in as well. She grabbed Booth's arm. "You'd better leave."

"What?"

"You're scaring her more. Just go to the other room," Brennan ordered, pushing him out. She was scared inside herself. She was not equipped to help a teenager having an experience like this.

"Cleo?" Brennan said, stepping in a little closer. Cleo shrank against the wall even further. "It's me, Dr. Brennan. I'm a friend. I'm not going to hurt you."

"Don't," Cleo said, shaking her head. Brennan stopped walking.

"Can you hear me?" she asked. Cleo nodded. "Okay. You're safe, Cleo. You're being protected by an FBI agent and myself. You are safe. This room is safe." She watched Cleo's eyes dart around before slowly beginning to become less glassy.

"No one is going to hurt you," Brennan went on. She wished Sweets was there. He would know what to do better than she did.

"I'm safe," Cleo repeated. She released the hold she had of herself slowly. "I'm safe."

"You're safe," Brennan echoed. Cleo eventually came back to the room and saw Brennan standing in the middle of it.

"That was so scary," she whispered.

"Are you all right now?" Brennan asked.

"I...I think so. You can tell Mr. Booth to come back now," Cleo said, nodding. Booth's head popped around the corner.

"You didn't leave," Brennan said accusingly.

"I got out of her sight. That's just as good. Besides, if you needed me, I was right here."

"I'm okay now," Cleo confirmed.

"What happened?" Booth asked.

"I don't really know. I woke up and was already scared."

"New surroundings," Brennan said, thinking. "It triggered the part of your brain affected by trauma."

"Okay, Sweets," Booth said, looking at her surprised.

"I suppose I have picked up more from him than I realized," Brennan admitted.

"Can I talk to him again?" Cleo asked, interrupting.

"Really?" Booth countered.

"Yes. He made me feel better."

"He will be thrilled. He asked if he could see you as a patient," Booth told her. Cleo's eyes brightened at this.

"Angela wants to know when you're meeting her," Brennan said, looking at her phone.

"We'll leave when Cleo is ready," Booth said. He tugged Brennan out of the room to give Cleo privacy. She followed him to the kitchen where he poured coffee into his to-go mug.

"That was intense," Brennan admitted, slumping on the bar stool a little.

"You were amazing," Booth told her, leaning his elbows on the countertop and looking at her. Brennan's eyes lingered on his lips a moment too long. She thought she saw something flicker in his eyes.

"I hope Sweets gives her some more tools to help her with that in the future," Brennan said, looking away.

"He will. Hey, you all right? I know we didn't get the chance to talk about your trip. Did it go well?"

"Better than anticipated. There was a moment where armed men tried to capture us, but I saved us."

"You...you what?!"

"Daisy swallowed her engagement ring. She didn't do anything to help really except strip to her undergarments."

"She...I'm confused," Booth said, scratching his head.

"It doesn't really matter. We are here safe and sound. Aside from this last mission, was your tour eventful?"

"I can't really tell you much about it. I met a reporter who I think wanted a one night stand, but I...couldn't," he finished carefully. Brennan's heart skipped a beat.

"Why not?"

"I'm just not a one night stand kind of guy," Booth said, looking at her intensely. He had seen her staring at his mouth. He wondered what it all meant.

"I'm ready," Cleo said, breaking into the moment. She looked between Booth and Brennan, a small smirk on her face.

"Okay. Let's go," Booth clapped his hands. He looked back at Brennan as they walked away. "See you later?"

"I'll be here after work," she promised.

"Great," he smiled. When they were gone, Brennan released the breath she had been holding. There was definitely something happening between them, but she felt unsure of how to bring it up to him. She was not good at this type of thing, especially when it was about him.

...

"I gotta admit, the whole Mr. Booth thing is weird for me," Booth said. "Just call me Booth."

"That's you're last name. I'm not calling you that," Cleo argued.

"It's what everyone calls me," he shot back.

"I'm not going to."

"Then what are you gonna call me?"

"Seeley. The way it should be."

"I really hate that name."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I just do."

"Well, it's Seeley or Mr. Booth. You pick," Cleo said, giving him a look. Booth sighed heavily.

"Seeley it is then," he agreed. Mr. Booth made him feel like an old man. It also reminded him too much of his father. As much as Seeley grated his ears, he'd live with it if it was helping her trust him.

...

"You can draw what I describe?" Cleo asked Angela, impressed. They were sitting in her office at the Jeffersonian. Booth wanted a less formal location so as to help Cleo feel relaxed.

"I can," Angela smiled.

"That's so cool!"

"It's pretty great," Angela admitted, laughing.

"It's helped us identify a lot of people," Booth chimed in. "You wanna go first?"

"Sure," Cleo nodded. She had this thing where she retained excellent memory of faces. She wasn't sure why or for what reason she was storing them in her mind, but they were there. Every single person who had hurt her. She had kept a small piece of information from Booth, and she was trying not to feel guilty about it. She didn't want to make him even more sick about her situation than he already was.

"Whenever you're ready," Angela encouraged, paper in front of her and pencil in hand. Cleo drew in a breath.

"He had a pointed chin," Cleo started. Angela started sketching immediately. "His cheekbones were high, and he had one dimple on his left side."

Booth was in awe at her memory. She'd only laid eyes on him once and for a very small amount of time. Even he hadn't had that much about the guy memorized.

"Keep going," Angela nodded.

"His lips were thin and turned up at the edges. His nose was also thin, but crooked, like he'd been punched there once. His eyes were average ovals, but he had a moon shaped scar in the corner of his right eye...kind of like his sunglasses left a dent there, but it's a blemish for sure." Angela was furiously drawing, and Booth was beginning to see their mystery man come to life on the paper.

"Sandy hair. Electric blue eyes that were cold and hard," Cleo said, her voice dropping. "A lot of hatred and anger in them."

"Are you sure you've only seen him once?" Booth prodded. Cleo turned to look at him.

"I have this thing with faces," she answered. "I only have to see them once, and I remember everything." Booth didn't say anything further because he already knew what she was implying. She remembered every single face of every person who had hurt her. His stomach twisted again.

"Is this him?" Angela asked, showing them her finished drawing.

"That's him," Booth and Cleo answered at the same time.

"Well done," Booth said to Cleo, who blushed.

"I'll scan and send to you so you can find him," Angela said, tidying up a little.

"Thanks, Ange," Booth smiled. It still marveled him, her talent. He stood to leave.

"Can I stay with Angela for a moment?" Cleo asked. "I want to look at her other pictures."

"Sure," Booth nodded. He stepped out of the room and walked down to where Hodgins had his face buried in a microscope.

"What's up, bug boy?" he asked.

"Just looking at some particulates that the FBI sent over from the Ambassador's house," Hodgins replied absently.

"And?"

"He must have had a lot of company," Hodgins said. He leaned back on his stool. "I've got dirt from a lot of different places."

"He was an Ambassador," Booth pointed out.

"It might help you find someone linked to the man from Afghanistan," Hodgins reasoned.

"That's what I'm shooting for," Booth said, tilting his head.

"I'm ready," Cleo said, finding him. Booth looked up to see Angela staring after them, an unreadable expression on her face. Cleo had possibly told her, Booth guessed. It was becoming a familiar look on most people's faces when they found out what that poor girl had been through.

"She's good, huh?" Booth asked, trying to keep it light.

"She's really good. I asked if she would help teach me to draw," Cleo answered.

"I'm sure she would."

"She said yes."

"That's great," Booth grinned. He caught sight of Cam then, and he got an idea.

"Hey," Cam said, stopping in front of them. "You must be Cleo."

"That's me," Cleo smiled.

"Cam, could Cleo stay here for a bit this afternoon? I gotta do some stuff at the office."

"Is it safe here?" Cleo asked, becoming stressed.

"It's very safe," Cam reassured her. "We have security and everything."

"And you'll be with Cam," Booth reminded her. "She used to be a police officer, and she was very good. I won't be long."

"I'd like to stay with you," Cleo said. Normally she hated being around men, but Booth was different. He didn't give her any bad vibes. He seemed sweet and genuine and harmless.

"You'd be stuck in a room alone for most of the day," Booth explained. "Here, you get to hang with Cam and Angela."

Cleo pondered this. Angela was really nice. Cam seemed okay. She knew Dr. Brennan worked here too. This would be an okay place to stay she supposed.

"I will stay," she confirmed. "But please don't be long."

"I'll hurry back," he promised.

"Wanna see something cool?" Cam asked Cleo as he walked away. He couldn't hear her response, but it sounded enthusiastic. He was going to find that man, and he didn't want her around when he did.

...

Brennan was going through files on her desk when her phone rang.

"You found him," she said, knowing it was Booth.

"Yea. I found him. His name is Jimmy Schultz. Bones, he's bad."

"Aren't they all bad when they murder someone?"

"No, no. He's really bad. This is really bad."

"Help me understand," she said, gripping the phone.

"Jimmy specializes in terrorism, Bones. He's on the most wanted list for using bombs, and he has succeeded in a few previous bombings before."

"Oh..."

"I'm sending you a link," Booth said. Brennan clicked open his email and clicked on the link. She had to stifle a gasp. The wreckage in front of her was devastating.

"Those poor people," she whispered.

"Yea, and it gets worse. Rumor has it that there is a red mercury bomb out there."

"What's that?"

"Basically it's a bomb that is completely undetectable and could be brought anywhere without us ever knowing it," Booth explained.

"He's looking for it," Brennan said, getting it.

"Yea, and I think the Ambassador knew where it was."

There was silence for a moment. Brennan could hear him breathing on the other end of the line.

"He was going to sell the information for money?" she asked.

"No, Bones. I think he already did, but he didn't get paid for it. Instead, he got murdered."

"So...where's the bomb?"

"I'm assuming Jimmy already has it or he is on his way to find it."

"Why did he want Cleo?"

"I don't know. That's the only thing that puzzles me about this whole thing. Why take a young girl when you're trying to bomb something?"

"I wish I could help. I don't know."

"I...I don't know either. I'm trying to figure this out. The only thing I can think is he wanted to...he...that Lavine told him about her and where she came from and was giving her to him as well as the information of the bomb."

"I find I really despise both these men," Brennan said.

"I do too. All right, I gotta get back into it. I'll see you later?"

"Yes."

Brennan hung up the phone feeling sick. An undetectable bomb? It definitely sounded like an act of terrorism to her. She hoped they could find this Jimmy before it was too late.

 **The Next Day**

"And breathe out," Sweets directed. Cleo obeyed, her eyes still closed. "Okay, now slowly bring yourself back into the room." She didn't want to come back. The peace she was feeling was liberating. However, she knew she had to face reality again sometime.

"Wow," she said, opening her eyes finally.

"Not bad, huh?" Sweets asked, eyes twinkling. And she had been skeptical it would even help.

"It was really, really good. Can I do this at home?"

"Of course! It's meant to aid in de-stressing after a flashback or when you're experiencing anxiety or panic. I encourage you to keep practising and building up the skill."

"Thank you, Dr. Sweets," Cleo smiled.

"I think that's a good place to stop for today," Sweets said. She nodded. They had talked about a lot of stuff in that hour, and Cleo was feeling a touch lighter, but she knew there was so much more she had to work through.

"When should I come back?"

"How do you feel about four days from now?"

"I think that's good."

"Great. I'll pencil you in."

Booth knocked on the door then. Sweets gave a disgruntled sigh.

"Ready?" Booth asked, poking his head in.

"What did I tell you about interrupting a session?" Sweets asked, annoyed.

"It's past the hour. I figured you were finished."

"It's crucial that you do not disturb me when the sign 'In Session' is on the door," Sweets said, trying to control the urge to bite Booth's head off for his insensitivity.

"All right, chill out. It won't happen again," Booth said, holding up his hands. Cleo was smirking at this point, which made Booth also grin.

"Where to?" she asked as they left Sweets's office.

"I gotta stop by the Jeffersonian to meet Bones."

"Why do you call her that?" Cleo asked once they were driving. She was curious. She had meant to ask him earlier.

"She looks at bones all day," Booth shrugged. "It just fits."

"Well, you look at files all day. Should you be called Files?"

"That doesn't even make sense," Booth snorted. "And I don't just look at files..."

"By your logic, it does," she pointed out, cutting him off. It hit her then. "That's what I'll call you! Files."

"Oh don't..."

"Too late," she smirked again. "Fiiiiles."

"You sound ridiculous," Booth said.

"You saying Bones all the time sounds ridiculous too," she shrugged. "It'll grow on you, Files."

"Keep it between you and me," he warned.

"Files and Bones," she mused. "That sounds like some kind of crime fighting show." She could have sworn Booth's lips had twitched into a smile at this. They arrived to their destination before too long. Cleo was excited to see Angela again. Booth met Brennan in the hallway while Cleo went down to see Angela.

"See ya, Files," she called behind her. Booth winced.

"Files?" Brennan asked, confused.

"It's the hilarious nickname she's given me," he answered.

"Oh, I get it. You look at files, just like I look at bones. Why didn't I think of that?" she said, fighting the urge to laugh at the stupid look on Booth's face.

"Don't you start," he threatened, shaking his finger at her.

"But it really does suit you, Files," Brennan teased. She laughed and started to walk back to her office before he could catch her sleeve. He sighed roughly as he followed her. The only good thing about Cleo giving him a nickname was that it meant she was beginning to be comfortable around him, so that was a win. He'd just have to deal with it.

* * *

 **I borrowed the red mercury bomb idea from the film Red 2. I have a super intense chapter coming up next. I hope you're ready for it!**


	4. Smoke 'Em Out

"Sargeant Major Seeley Booth," Jimmy read. He flipped through the file. "FBI. Hmm, this could be fun."

"What do you want to do, sir?" the man beside him asked. Jimmy looked at him.

"Well, we need to get the girl, so find out where he resides and then wait for my orders."

"Yes sir."

Jimmy sat back in his chair. He wasn't about to lose his opportunity to dominate the world because of one stupid girl.

 **A Few Days Later**

"Files!" Cleo called. She felt her breathing become shallow. She had no idea what was happening to her. She was used to seeing blood sometimes down there, but not like this. The pain with it was almost unbearable too.

"What's wrong?" his voice said outside the door.

"I'm bleeding."

"You're...you're bleeding?" he repeated.

"Yes."

"Um, okay. There are bandaids in the cupboard..."

"Not that kind of bleeding."

"I'm confused."

"I don't know what's happening to me. I think I'm hurt," she started to cry.

"Okay just, hang on," Booth said. He moved away from the door. Of all times for Brennan to be late. He heard her open the door then, and he almost tackled her.

"What are you doing?" she asked, taken aback.

"Cleo's bleeding."

"So get her a bandage or something," Brennan said logically. She hung up her coat.

"No, no. I think she's _bleeding_ , as in, that kind of bleeding," Booth said, gesturing.

"Oh, her period," Brennan said. "I have stuff."

"Okay, that's great, but I don't think she understands why it's happening," Booth finished. Brennan stared at him.

"You want me to explain it to her?"

"Yes please," he answered in a small voice. The idea of telling Cleo what her period was all about made him want to run for the hills and never come back.

"She's late for puberty then," Brennan said. "That explains why she looks so young for her age and hasn't fully developed. Okay, I will tell her about it."

"Thanks, Bones. I owe you."

"Oh yes, you do." She started to head towards the bathroom when she stopped and turned back.

"What?" he asked.

"If I wasn't around, what would you have done?"

"I would've called Cam or Angela," he answered logically.

"What if you had to do it yourself? If there wasn't anyone to help?"

"My artwork is terrible, Bones. You've seen it."

"You'd _draw_ it for her?!"

"No?" he said, more as a question.

"You really are hopeless," she sighed. She went to the bathroom and knocked.

"It's me," she said. Cleo hopped off the toilet and opened the door before rushing back. Brennan closed the door behind her with a hand over her eyes.

"I'm not looking," she promised.

"What's happening to me?" Cleo asked, whimpering. Brennan inhaled sharply. This was going to be harder than she thought.

"Well," she started. Then she launched into the logistics and explained as best as she could.

"Oh. My. God," Cleo said after. "Are you serious? Every month?!"

"Yes."

"You're shitting me."

"I'm not," Brennan shook her head. She had turned away so as to continue giving Cleo privacy. She was angry at Shelley for not explaining this to Cleo. What a way for her to find out. She began digging in her purse for something to give Cleo for now until she could go get more. Luckily, she had one of each. Cleo took the one she wanted, and Brennan left the bathroom.

"Well?" Booth asked.

"She now understands," Brennan answered.

"You know, it makes me very glad to be a man," he said. She snorted.

"Well, I'm glad that I don't have an extremely vulnerable part of me within easy access to be harmed," she pointed out.

"Fair enough," he said.

"Do you have any ibroprophen or advil?" Brennan asked. "For Cleo?"

"For what?"

"Cramps, Booth."

"Oh God," he grimaced. "Please don't share anymore."

"It's not a cold, Booth. It's not something you're going to catch," she teased. "Now, the pills?"

"Right. Um, here," he said, reaching and finding a bottle of advil.

"Thanks," she responded, taking it. She shook her head at him, but he caught a small smile on her lips. This whole living together thing was going well so far. Booth was beginning to look forward to seeing her at the end of every day. He wondered how she was thinking and feeling about it.

"Do you have something for the pain?" Cleo asked, coming out then. Brennan shook the bottle and handed her a pill.

"This will help. If necessary, I can get you a hot water bottle or a heating pad."

"Thanks."

Cleo felt embarrassed by everything suddenly. Booth wasn't even looking at her. Brennan noticed and nudged him.

"Hey, let's go out for dinner," he suggested. It broke the tension, and he didn't feel like cooking.

"Sounds good," Brennan nodded. "Cleo, you can pick where we go."

"Sweet," Cleo replied.

...

Angela was staring down at the faces on her desk. She felt her hands shaking, and she wondered why she had gone along with what Cleo had asked of her. It all felt so wrong, but in the end, it was going to bring justice. Cleo had sworn her to secrecy, so she couldn't tell anyone what she was doing. When Hodgins asked what she was working on, she lied and said portrait practice. He didn't even question it. Angela drew in a shaky breath and exhaled long and slow. She hated all of these faces. She hated that Cleo wasn't even finished, that there were more to come. They were meeting in secret while Cleo was here and Brennan was working on other things. Angela didn't know if this was therapeutic for Cleo or not, but it was certainly disturbing to Angela. She hoped she could convince Cleo to tell Booth and soon. She couldn't keep this quiet for much longer.

...

"We found him," the voice said over the phone. Jimmy smiled.

"Good. Let the games begin."

"What do you want us to do?"

"Smoke him out."

...

Booth was actually enjoying the dinner with Brennan and Cleo when his phone rang. He huffed, answering it.

"What?" he asked. He froze.

"Bad?" Cleo asked Brennan, who shook her head.

"No. I think he's being told about a lead," she mused, peering at him.

"Thanks," Booth said, snapping his phone shut. "I gotta run. You two stay and enjoy yourselves. I'll be back in a bit."

"Are we meeting you here or at the apartment?" Brennan asked.

"Whatever. Just text me where," he answered, taking off. When he got to the office, he found Agent Williams waiting for him. He handed Booth an envelope, and Booth opened it, pulling out a photo.

"This is his last known location. There's also his DNA in there from the last bombing. Good thing he got sloppy."

"Yea. Now if we can just get him to sit still long enough to get him," Booth said, looking at the satellite image.

"The window is small. He may already be gone."

"Well, get on it," Booth ordered. Just knowing that Jimmy was in the US was unsettling him. He gingerly took out the bloody rag. He wondered what area of Jimmy got hit in order to spill this much blood. He wanted to break his nose, but then again, someone already had by the look of his crooked beak. Perhaps that was what spilled so much blood on this rag. He put it all back and tucked it into his jacket, getting ready to head back to meet the girls.

...

Cleo had gone to bed, leaving Booth and Brennan sitting up and talking.

"I really can't thank you enough for doing this, Bones," Booth said, nudging her foot with his.

"Seeing how serious this case is now, I believe it's necessary that we are together," Brennan nodded.

"Necessary?"

"Well, who else is going to save you when they come for you?"

"Oho! You think I will need to be saved?!"

"Of course. You stirred up quite a strife by the sounds of it. I'm sure it will be you they come after, not me."

"God, you're so morbid," he teased. She grinned then.

"I'm glad to help, Booth. Really," she finished, looking at him intently. Those eyes. That mouth. It was all so overwhelming. She wanted to just firmly press herself against his chest and kiss him with everything she had.

"Are you sure you don't mind the couch?" he asked, clearing his throat. He suddenly wanted to invite her to sleep with him, but he wasn't sure how well that would go over. He didn't want her angry with him.

"It's fine."

"I can trade with you..."

"I'm fine here, seriously."

"All right."

They looked at each other for a moment, studying one another. It was like a game of chicken, and the end goal was who was going to talk about their relationship first.

"We should get some sleep," Brennan finally said, hating herself for being such a coward.

"Sure," he agreed. He stood, hovering above her for a moment. He could just kiss her. She might not reject him this time. He shook the thought away, knowing it was a very bad idea.

"Good night," she said softly.

"Good night," he replied. He padded to his room feeling like a complete asshole for not opening his mouth.

...

Booth awakened to the strong smell of smoke and immediately started coughing. He flicked his lamp on, seeing nothing but rolling blackness. His first thought was why the hell his smoke detectors hadn't woken him up. The next one was:

"BONES!" he screamed. He leaped across the bedroom, yanking open the door. More smoke entered. He was coughing so hard he could barely see.

"CLEO! BONES!" He clawed his way blindly to where he thought Cleo's room was.

"Over here!" Brennan's voice choked out.

"Bones? Bones!"

"Booth," she said, grabbing his hand finally. He hauled her into Cleo's room, where he saw the flames. The fire had obviously started in here.

"CLEO!" he bellowed. He kept his grip on Brennan. He wasn't letting her go. They both frantically scanned the room. He heard faint screaming coming from the closet then. He suddenly realized he was going to have to let go of Brennan in order to get Cleo out of there because it was swarmed by flames.

"Booth!" Brennan shrieked, pointing to the ceiling. The flames were weakening the structure by the minute. Booth reasoned that this fire had started out strong in order for it to be so advanced already.

"Get out," he ordered her.

"No..."

"GET OUT NOW!" he bellowed. Her terrified eyes were probably going to be the last thing he saw, but she had to get out of there. He wasn't going to let her die.

Brennan didn't want to lose him. She knew the probability was very high given their circumstances. She wasn't going to leave him without at least letting him know one thing. She grabbed his head and kissed him hard. It was a hello and goodbye all in one, and it was fast. They were running out of time.

"GO!" he shouted, the shock in his eyes from her kiss lasting for a second before coming back to the task at hand. She obeyed, stumbling through the smoke and out the door. She teetered on the stairs down to the lobby, where others had started to gather. She heard sirens, so someone had phoned the emergency services. She went outside, scanning the building. He had to emerge. He just had to.

...

Booth wished he had a chance to douse himself in water first, but there was no time. After Brennan had left, he leaped across the flames and yanked open the closet door. A very frightened Cleo was staring up at him. He hauled her up into his arms, not caring that it could be making her trauma worse. He was here to save her, not hurt her. He faced the flames again, seeing that he couldn't run and jump it, not with Cleo. He heard Cleo sobbing, and he wished he could comfort her. He looked to the open window, realizing it was his last hope. The flames were the smallest in that direction. He had to get her there. He ran through the flames, feeling them burn at his feet. He gritted his teeth against the pain. He threw the window open higher, looking down. The fire escape was right there.

"Cleo," he said loudly. She was still crying. "CLEO!"

"What?" she asked through her sobs. He adjusted her so she was sitting on the window edge.

"Go down the fire escape. They'll catch you at the bottom," he ordered.

"What about you?" she asked, afraid.

"I have to get something," Booth answered. He had to get the evidence, and if he lost it, he lost his only potential lead to ending all of this. That was clearly something the arsonist knew.

"Don't leave me!" she shrieked.

"Go to Dr. Brennan. Now," he commanded.

"BOOTH! CLEO!" Brennan's voice reached them. She had caught sight of them.

"Go!" Booth urged, helping Cleo down to the escape. She shakily made her way, but Booth stopped watching as he turned to face the flames. He sprinted and jumped over them, slamming into the wall in the hallway. He ran back to his room for the evidence. The smoke was so thick. He could barely breathe, and he was starting to think he wasn't going to get out of this alive. He found the envelope on his nightstand with his wallet and phone. Grabbing all of it, he stuffed the wallet and phone into the envelope and hurried to the front door. It was so hot. He felt his energy levels sapping. His head was foggy. He just wanted to lie down.

...

"He's still in there!" Cleo shrieked once she had made it down and had jumped into Brennan's arms for the last bit.

"What?! Why did he go back?"

"Evidence," Cleo answered. Brennan knew better than to leave Cleo unattended, but she didn't want to just stand there and let her partner die either.

"Stay right here," Brennan said. "Anyone tries to touch you, you have my permission to bite them, kick them...whatever it takes."

"Okay," Cleo nodded. "Hurry!" She made the decision to hide then, so she found a nearby car to crawl under. No one was paying attention to her, which she was grateful for. She hoped Brennan would save Booth. She wasn't sure why she had hid in the closet to begin with. Her frantic mind had told her it was the safest place to go. She was lucky Booth had thought to look there.

Brennan raced to the entrance, but a firefighter refused to let her enter.

"You don't understand!" Brennan cried. "My partner is in there!"

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but we can't let you in there. It's too dangerous."

"No! I have to save him!"

The firefighter gripped her arm and pulled her away. She was sobbing now. Her Booth was in there. She couldn't just give up on him. He certainly wouldn't give up on her. She yanked free and bolted for the doors. She heard the yelling behind her, but she didn't care. The stairwell was thick with smoke, but she forced her way up. She got to his floor and saw his door open. Then she saw a hand on the floor extended through the entry.

"Booth!" she cried. She surged ahead, finding him collapsed on the ground. "NO!" She grasped his arms tightly fireman style and hauled him out into the hallway. She saw the envelope and stuffed it into the waist of her pajama pants. Then she continued to drag him to the stairs.

"I'm so sorry," she apologized, knowing what she was going to do next would hurt him greatly physically. She maneuvered him into a ball as best as she could and rolled him down the stairs. Two flights later, she was sure he was going to have internal bleeding as a result. Three firefighters met her then, and they picked him up while the fourth came and escorted her out.

"Temperance!" Cleo shouted, pushing through the crowd. She had seen Booth emerge with Brennan right behind her.

"You're crazy, you know that?" the same firefighter from before said to her.

"Maybe, but at least I saved him," she answered, jutting her chin out. He had no reply to that. Paramedics were hooking Booth up to oxygen and an IV drip.

"You should come too," the one paramedic gestured. "Both of you. That was a lot of smoke you inhaled."

"I'm not leaving him," Brennan said. Cleo nodded in agreement. Booth had saved her life. She would have died in that closet otherwise. She was silent on the ride to the hospital. Her being with Booth was getting him almost killed. She was beginning to think she should be somewhere else on her own.

...

Brennan had been cleared. So had Cleo. They were both in the waiting room when a doctor approached them. Brennan stood, afraid.

"He's fine," the doctor said. She felt the relief so immense she nearly fell to her knees.

"Oh thank goodness," she breathed.

"He's banged up a bit and had lots of smoke inhalation with some burns on his feet. We're checking for any heart conditions due to the smoke, so we're going to monitor him overnight. Otherwise, he's free to go tomorrow morning."

"Okay. Thank you."

"Take care," the doctor smiled, walking away.

"He saved us," Cleo said in a small voice. Booth was constantly proving to her that not every man was an evil man. It was starting to stick.

"That's what he does," Brennan nodded.

"Someone is still trying to hurt me," Cleo noted.

"We'll find out who, and we'll end this," Brennan told her firmly. "I promise." She pulled Cleo into a tight embrace then, trying to convey to her that she would be all right, that this nightmare would eventually end.

* * *

 **Pretty intense! I had the song Canyon Battle by M83 (from Oblivion soundtrack) helping me write this one. Thanks for reading! I hope you're excited for more ;)**


	5. Cleo's Secret

**Thank you for your continued support :) It means a lot. Here is another chapter for my lovely readers!**

* * *

Brennan finally got to talk to Booth in the morning for check out. He had been sleeping every time she went into his room during the night.

"I heard you saved me," Booth said when she stopped in front of him while he pulled his shirt on. Sweets had come by with some extra clothing of his and store bought clothes for Cleo. Brennan felt very odd in Sweets's baggy sweatshirt.

"No one else was going to," Brennan said. Booth smiled in return. He had a bunch of painful bruising from his tumble down three flights of stairs, but otherwise he was all right. He wanted to talk to her about that kiss, but now just seemed like a bad time. It was always a bad time, it seemed, to talk about their relationship.

"Where do we go now?" Cleo asked, appearing at the door.

"We go to my place," Brennan answered.

"What if they find us there?"

"They won't. Even if they do, we'll have more FBI protection now," Brennan added. Booth would see to that.

"I'm going to figure this out," Booth promised.

"You're going home to rest," Brennan advised. "We'll get the others to help."

"I can't rest knowing that Cleo is still in danger."

"We'll be together and alert this time. We'll be safe. There's also a doorman at my place. It's more secure."

"Rub it in," Booth said, trying to make a joke.

"Come on," Brennan said. She took his hand, and he let her lead the way.

...

The day went by without them talking about her kiss. Cleo eventually fell asleep after being reassured dozens of times that she was safe. After saying awkward goodnights, Brennan went to her room, and Booth stayed in the living room. After over an hour of trying to sleep, Brennan couldn't take it anymore. She slid out of her room and padded to the couch. Booth was lying with one arm thrown over his head. His eyes were closed. She stood before him, hesitating for a second, but then she hardened her resolve. She wanted this. It was happening.

"Booth," she whispered, nudging him. He was instantly awake, one arm flying out in front of him in defense, which she dodged.

"It's me," she hissed. He visibly calmed.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Come with me," she urged. He was confused.

"Come where?"

"Just get up," she said. He obeyed, following her back to her bedroom.

"What is so urgent that you had to drag me..." he started, but he didn't get to finish. Once the door was shut, she closed the gap between them and locked her lips onto his. He was surprised by this and pulled back at first.

"What are you doing?" he asked. He understood the kiss during the fire was meant as a last desperate act, but this was unexpected.

"I care about you a lot," she answered. "Last night proved that to me even more when I thought I'd lost you. I should never have let fear control me. We lost so much time..."

"Shh okay stop," he said, putting a finger over her lips. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"Oh," he said, unsure of what else to say. It was everything he wanted. Now suddenly, he had no idea how to go forward. She helped him figure it out by kissing him again, sliding her hands under his t-shirt. Booth's mind was reeling. This was happening, really happening. He responded with fervor. It was what he had dreamed about for so long.

"Why now?" he asked, panting. He had her on her back on her bed. The question was burning, though.

"I've been wanting to tell you since I got home from Maluku. There just wasn't a good time," she said, kissing him thoroughly as she pulled him as close to her as he could physically get. Booth didn't ask any more questions. It just wasn't the right time.

...

Brennan awoke during the night and felt Booth behind her, his arm slung across her waist. His skin against hers felt incredible. She tried to shift without waking him, but he was already awake as well.

"Hey, you," he said, his voice tinged with sleep.

"Hi."

"You can't sleep either?"

"Not really. I keep thinking about this whole thing."

"Us or the case?"

"Well, both actually," she admitted.

"I can assure you that I'm not going anywhere," he said, kissing the spot just under her ear.

"So...what are we exactly?"

"Two people in a relationship?" he said, a hint of teasing in his voice.

"That answers the question of is this just a one night stand," Brennan chuckled.

"God, no, Bones. This is not a one night stand. I...I would never do that to you," Booth said, growing serious.

"Somehow I knew that," she replied.

"It's new and different, but I'd like to say we're a couple," Booth offered.

"Do you want everyone to know?" Brennan asked, hoping he wouldn't say yes. It was hard enough to get used to being with him without Angela or Sweets glomming all over it.

"We can keep it on the low key if you'd like," he answered, distracting her with his fingers. He smiled in the darkness when she arched against him.

"All right," she agreed. She turned so that she was facing him, finding his lips with hers. Booth realized after a while that they hadn't talked about the case, but he figured it would have killed the mood, so he let it go for now.

...

Booth padded to the kitchen the next morning to see Cleo sitting at the table already.

"Finally," she said, gesturing. Booth froze.

"Finally what?"

"Don't be coy. You got your anthropologist finally," Cleo smirked.

"W-what? No."

"Dude, I clearly saw you leave her bedroom just now," she said, pointing. Booth stared down at Brennan's bedroom door, knowing there was no way out of this one.

"Okay, so I did. Just be cool, all right?"

"All right," she shrugged. It didn't matter so much to her really. She was glad they finally did something about all that tension between them, though. It was almost suffocating at times. She picked at her cereal. She wished she had her real parents back. They were always so loving towards each other, making jokes and forever finding ways to touch each other. Her heart twisted and her throat tightened. She pushed away the bowl, leaving the rest untouched.

"You okay?" Booth asked, noticing her face.

"I'm fine. I should start on my lessons," she said, heading to her room. She was taking part in homeschooling for now since her future was uncertain regarding school. She was very self-taught and was able to do it with her instructors online without Booth's help much. Booth watched her go from the coffee maker. He'd give anything to take away all the heartache, pain, and misery from Cleo. He desperately wished he had that power.

...

Booth stood in the middle of his ruined apartment, staring at everything. His mind was spinning around and around. He'd almost died here. He'd almost lost Cleo and Brennan here. Why had Cleo's window been open? Why hadn't his smoke detectors worked? They were in shambles, so he couldn't tell from the surface, but Hodgins was going to be collecting them for evidence. Someone had deliberately started this fire to kill them all. Someone was watching them. He felt his skin prickle. It made him all the more determined to keep Cleo close and now Brennan. If they wanted to take a shot at him, let them. He wasn't going to let anyone harm his girls, and he would die protecting them if he had to.

 **The Next Day**

When Cleo stopped talking, Angela showed her the picture, making her nod.

"That's right," Cleo said. Angela set the paper down and shuddered.

"Cleo, sweetie, I really think it's time we tell Booth," Angela said, putting the picture into the plastic sheath at the back of a binder. Cleo sighed.

"I know you're right, but he's so focused on this case. This will only distract him from it."

"Then explain to him that it can wait until this is over."

"He'll get upset."

"He will, but that's because he cares about you."

"He does?"

"Of course! Cleo, he wouldn't have brought you all the way here to live under his protection if he didn't care about you," Angela said.

"I've never had someone care about me like that since my real parents," Cleo said thoughtfully.

"I know. You've been hurt so much, but Booth never will. You can count on him," Angela added. She handed Cleo the binder of drawn faces, the recent one added to the back. Cleo closed her eyes briefly, feeling all the drawn eyes staring up at her through the cover. It was time.

"Thank you, Angela, for helping me with this," Cleo said, standing up.

"You're welcome. I'm always here, okay?"

"Okay."

Angela watched Cleo leave, and she collapsed back into her chair. She could only imagine what Booth's response to that binder was going to be.

...

Booth was twirling his pen in his fingers absently when Cleo entered his office with Brennan in tow.

"Hey," he said, brightening after seeing them. "What brings you here?"

"Any leads on the fire?" Brennan asked.

"I'm waiting for bug boy," Booth answered.

"I've been keeping an eye on the apartment through security cameras I had installed," Brennan went on. "There doesn't seem to be any strange activity yet."

"Good. I plan to keep it that way."

Booth and Brennan shared a smile, and Cleo knew they just couldn't wait to start macking on each other again. She cleared her throat, reminding them that she was there. She pulled out the binder from her bag and set it down on his desk. Booth stared at it.

"What's that?" he asked, finally looking up at her.

"Dr. Brennan, can we have a minute?" Cleo asked.

"Of course," Brennan nodded. She slipped out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

"Open it," Cleo said. Booth obeyed, sliding it closer to him and pulling the cover back. A man's face stared up at him. He frowned, flipping through the binder. All men's faces, and all hand drawn. He counted 13. He looked up at Cleo again.

"What is this?" he asked. Cleo worked hard to keep the tears from exploding from within her. She felt her legs shake, but she knew he had to know.

"Those are all the men who hurt me," she answered. "Every single one of them."

"Cleo," Booth said, shocked. He looked back down at them.

"I have this thing where I remember faces as you may recall."

"Were they all from the brothel?"

"No," Cleo shook her head. She fiddled with her fingers. Booth caught on to this.

"Where, Cleo?" he asked, feeling that rage coming back to him.

"In America," she whispered. She avoided his gaze.

"You're telling me that all these men hurt you here?"

"Yes."

"Okay. All right. I've got this," Booth said, gripping his desk to steady himself. "Can you tell me how this happened?"

"Frank had parties," she said quietly.

"What kind of parties?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Bad ones. Sometimes he hosted, but mostly he took me to other homes. There were other children," she finished. She wished she could have described them to Angela too, but all that would have been drawn was terrified children. She didn't want to do that to Angela.

"Okay," Booth said, swallowing hard. "So you had Angela draw these men because they are a part of this ring?"

"Yes."

"Have you ever considered a career with the FBI?" he asked, trying to make her smile. She was incredibly brave for doing something like this. He could only imagine how much she relived by describing these bastards.

"I am now," she said, smiling finally. "I know this case has higher priority, but I thought perhaps after you could look into it."

"I most certainly will. Thank you, Cleo, for doing this. You're a very brave young woman, you know that?"

"I've been called many things, but brave has never been one of them," she said, holding his gaze.

"Well, get used to it," he said.

"All right, Files," she smirked. He gave a small laugh in return.

"Booth?" Brennan asked, knocking first before opening the door. "I just got a call. We have human remains to look at."

"Okay," Booth sighed. He turned to Cleo. "You okay to hang out here? Sweets is here too somewhere."

"I'm good," she nodded. "I'm getting very good at solitaire. I am this close to beating your top score." She gestured with her fingers.

"You can try," he snorted. "Right, I'll see you later." He put his hand on the small of Brennan's back as they walked out together. Cleo got comfortable in Booth's chair, reaching for the mouse to start the game.

...

Brennan was looking at the body in front of her, knowing that she had seen him before. Cam was bent over his side.

"What?" Booth asked, sensing she was thinking intensely about something.

"I know him," Brennan said, pointing.

"You do?"

"Yes," she nodded vigorously now. "He was the firefighter who wouldn't let me back in to save you." Booth froze, pen in hand. He looked at the dead man and back to Brennan.

"You're serious?"

"Yes! He wouldn't let me back in, but I outsmarted him."

"I bet you anything he's a part of Jimmy's team then, and the consequences of failing is death."

"I left Cleo alone," Brennan whispered. "Right in his reach." Thank goodness Cleo had hidden herself.

"Another reason for his death. He failed to get her," Booth noted.

"Okay, this is getting out of hand," Cam said. "Who else is on his team? Police officers? FBI agents? I don't know who to trust now." Brennan understood what she meant. She was finding herself skeptical of everyone now too.

"Take the remains back to the lab," she ordered the workers.

"I'll assist," Cam said, taking her gloves off. She wasn't going to let that body out of her sight.

"What do we do now?" Brennan asked Booth.

"I'm going to talk to his coworkers. You go to the lab and find cause of death."

"I'll call once I have it."

"See you later," Booth said, resisting the urge to kiss her then. They were sticking to the deal of keeping their newfound relationship quiet for now. She squeezed his hand instead and went after Cam.

...

"Can I come in?" Cleo asked Sweets, who looked up from his desk.

"Sure. It's not our scheduled session is it?" Sweets asked, immediately looking at his calendar.

"No, no. I was just hanging out here while they went to look at a body," Cleo answered. "I thought I'd come see you."

"Yea, okay. I've got some time," he nodded, setting aside his files. "Have a seat."

Cleo sat, hugging the binder to her chest. She had decided to show him this as well. She wanted to talk about each one, what they did, how it hurt her, but she needed to know if he could handle it first.

"What's that?" Sweets asked on cue.

"This is...this is a book with all the faces of my abusers," Cleo answered, handing it to them. If Sweets was shocked, he didn't show it. He flipped through them slowly.

"You remembered each one," he said as if it was the most common occurrence.

"I did."

"You want to talk about them to help process and work through your trauma," he said, getting it. He looked back up at her.

"Yes," she whispered. He nodded slowly.

"Which one do you want to start with?" he asked, setting the book down in front of her. The hard eyes looked back up at her.

"That one," she pointed.

"Okay," Sweets said. "Let's hear it."

...

Brennan and Cam got the body situated on the table. Hodgins set to work on the particulates. Angela wasn't needed since the face was still intact.

"Is it just me, or does he look terrified?" Hodgins asked.

"You're right," Cam agreed, looking.

"You think he saw his attacker?" Brennan asked.

"That's a possibility," Cam nodded. They searched the whole body, but no external wounds were found.

"I'm starting to think poison," Hodgins said. "There are no gunshot wounds or stab wounds, nothing to indicate a physical attack on the outside of his body."

"I'll start the tox screen," Cam told them. Brennan felt uneasy. There was just something about this body that didn't sit well with her.

"Hey," Hodgins said, remembering. "Tell Booth that his smoke detectors had no batteries in them."

"What?" Brennan asked.

"Yea. They were removed. I'd say arsonist," Hodgins concluded.

"Thank you, Hodgins. I will tell him," Brennan promised. It didn't make her feel any better.

* * *

 **And the plot thickens. I am so excited for you guys to keep reading!**


	6. Resuscitation

**I'm so happy you all are enjoying this story! Buckle up for another intense chapter!**

* * *

Booth was at his desk reflecting on the news about his smoke detectors and searching the database for the dead fireman when Cleo returned. She looked a little shell shocked.

"Are you all right?" he asked, concerned.

"Yea. I just had a session with Sweets about this," she said, handing him the binder. Booth swallowed hard. The binder. He had forgotten about it.

"I can imagine it was very difficult for you," Booth said slowly.

"It was, but at the same time, it helped me work through some of it. Dr. Sweets is very good," Cleo said, sitting down across from Booth.

"He is," Booth agreed. He had prodded him to make the gamble with his relationship with Brennan. He owed this newfound territory he had with Brennan to Sweets for making her reflect and change her mind while she was away. Brennan had confessed to him that Sweets had chatted with her before she left, making her doubt her original rationalization that their relationship wouldn't work.

"Can we go home?" she asked in a small voice.

"Yea," he nodded. "We can go home." He could do some work from there. He went to call Brennan when Cleo stopped him.

"It's okay," she said firmly. "I trust you."

"I don't want you to feel uncomfortable," he started.

"I'm not. Not around you. Or Dr. Sweets. You both have this aura around you that indicates safety and trust. I know neither of you will hurt me. It's also a part of my therapy, to work on trusting other men again and know that not everyone is going to hurt me."

"Okay," Booth said. "If you're all right with it, then I'll leave Bones at work. She's trying to find cause of death."

"I'm all right with it," Cleo confirmed. Booth stood and turned off his computer.

"You feel like some ice cream first?" he asked. "I always take Parker there when he's feeling upset."

"It's been a very long time since I've had ice cream," she noted. "I'll take you up on that."

"Great," Booth smiled. "Come on, kid." He placed a hand on her shoulder and guided her out the door. Cleo felt very safe with him then, and she knew without a doubt that she had made the right decision to trust Seeley Booth.

...

"There is nothing in the tox screen," Cam said, looking at it. She was confused. Brennan looked as well.

"What was he, scared to death?" Hodgins asked. They all looked at each other then. They had seen that type of death before.

"I will take a look at his brain," Cam said, nodding. "That's the next step."

"This is weird," Hodgins said to Brennan after Cam had left. "I don't get a good vibe from this one."

"Neither do I," Brennan agreed. She looked at her phone to see Booth had texted he and Cleo were going for ice cream. She was glad that Cleo was finally starting to be okay alone with Booth.

"I guess I'll get back to my particulates," Hodgins sighed. "Call me if you find anything out."

"I will," Brennan promised. She went back to the body, watching as Cam started her procedure. She looked back at her phone, suddenly having a strange feeling about Booth and Cleo.

"There's a very small hole here," Cam said, breaking into her thoughts.

"What? Where?"

"Here. It's covered by a tattoo. That's why we missed it."

"Why is it there? For what purpose?"

"I guess I'll find out once I open him up," Cam answered. Brennan began to feel uneasy again.

"I'm going to go," she said suddenly to Cam.

"Okay," Cam responded. She was heavily focused on her work. Brennan left and headed to her car. She felt this sense she needed to be with Booth right now.

...

"Feel better?" Booth asked as they sat in the parlor.

"This is amazing," Cleo replied, her voice thick with ice cream in her mouth.

"Ice cream is always amazing," Booth commented, making her laugh. He did a quick scan of the place, making sure there weren't any suspicious looking people there with them. It was now dark outside.

"So, you and the good doctor," Cleo said, licking her spoon. "How's that going?"

"I'm not answering that," Booth snorted.

"Obviously very well. You guys are still sleeping in the same bed," Cleo pointed out.

"Are you always this observant?"

"Always," Cleo nodded. She had to be. It was essential to survival. Booth grew serious, realizing this as well.

"I'm glad you're talking to Sweets," he said.

"Me too," Cleo agreed. Booth turned to look out the window then, and his heart jumped as though he'd been electrocuted. There was a man standing there with a gun aimed right at him.

"DOWN!" he shouted, pulling Cleo to the floor. Bullets shattered the window, and one hit him right in the back. He cried out in pain.

"What's happening?!" Cleo cried as he crawled on top of her, protecting her from further shots.

"FBI FREEZE!" Brennan's voice shouted. Booth dared to look, and there was Brennan indeed standing there with her big ass pistol aimed at the man, who turned and fled. Brennan fired off some shots, but she missed.

"Bones!" he yelled. She turned to see them and ran inside.

"Booth!" she cried, seeing him bleeding. "You're hurt!"

"What?" Cleo asked, struggling out from under him. Booth was unable to stand. Brennan slid his shirt up, seeing the bullet wound in his back.

"Help is coming," the store owner said. He had been hiding behind the counter trembling when it all happened, but he had called emergency services all the same.

"Hang on, Booth," Brennan said, pulling him into her lap and cradling him. "Hang on."

"Don't die, Files. I need you," Cleo begged. Booth stared up at both of them before things started to go blurry and dark.

...

"Hodgins, what do you make of this?" Cam asked. Hodgins bent down to look. The victim's brain looked like something she had never seen before. Cam had been stunned when she saw it.

"It's like his brain exploded," Hodgins breathed. He looked at Cam, who looked back at him, scared.

"We are dealing with a bomb expert here," Cam said slowly.

"This is really intense," Hodgins said.

"I have to let Booth know," Cam said, reaching for her phone. It went to voicemail. "He's not answering."

"Oh no," Hodgins said.

"I'm trying Dr. Brennan," Cam said, quickly dialing. No answer from her either.

"This is bad," Hodgins commented.

"He's putting bombs into people's brains, Hodgins," Cam said, getting worked up. "Of course this is bad!"

"You're jumping to conclusions," Hodgins pointed out.

"How else do you explain a brain that looks like freaking nuclear bomb hit it?" Cam demanded.

"Right. Conclusions first, evidence later," Hodgins said.

"Come on," Cam muttered, trying both Booth and Brennan again. Something was really wrong. She left a voicemail for Booth. It would have to do for now.

...

Sweets had come as soon as Brennan called him. She needed someone to stay with Cleo while she kept an eye on what was happening to Booth. They had taken him in for surgery hours ago, and he was just being wheeled to a room now. Brennan hurried in there.

"He's sleeping off the sedative," the nurse explained. "He should be awake in an hour or so."

"Okay," Brennan nodded. She sat by his side, holding his hand. She wasn't going to leave him.

...

Booth awoke feeling very groggy. Everything seemed to hurt. He looked to see Brennan asleep beside the bed, and he smiled a little. Of course she'd be right there. He shifted and immediately winced from the pain in his back. He looked to see his things on the table beside him, and he reached for his phone. He needed to let Cam know what happened so she could keep an eye on that body. He was surprised to find a bunch of missed calls and voicemails from her.

"Booth, you have to call me right now."

"Booth! Where the hell are you?! CALL ME!"

"Booth, it's really bad. Please call me!"

"Okay, I'm just going to say it. Jimmy put a bomb in the victim's head, Booth. That's how he died."

"Booth! Please tell me you're okay!"

Booth stared at his phone, shocked. A bomb in a brain? He swallowed, his heart racing. Something was coming back to him, something from when he was in surgery. He had briefly woken up before immediately being knocked out again. He remembered voices, laughter. He reached to touch his head, feeling for anything abnormal.

"Booth?" Brennan asked, touching him gently and making him jump. He was still searching his skull with his fingers. They had put something in his head. He knew it. Everything was a blur, though. He didn't remember any faces.

"Are you okay?" she pressed, resting her hands on his chest near his collarbone.

"Yea," he nodded finally. The light was so blinding suddenly. Then, his hands found it, and he inhaled sharply. It was very small, but it was there. And it hurt to touch.

"What is this?" she asked, noticing and shifting his hair to reveal a small hole on his scalp.

"Don't," he said quickly, catching her hand. His breath came in short bursts. It was slowly coming back to him in pieces. The laughter, the voices. They had done it. They had put a bomb in his head, just like the firefighter. Just like Cam had said in her message.

"If you don't do what I say, I will set it off," the man had whispered. Jimmy? Booth struggled to remember. He sat up.

"You really shouldn't exert yourself," Brennan said, trying to push him back down.

"You need to leave," Booth said. There was only one reason they'd do this to him. It was to get Cleo. If he tried to intervene, they'd kill him, and he'd never be able to save her.

"Files?" Cleo's voice asked. Booth froze. What was she doing here?!

"Is this a bad time?" Sweets questioned behind her. "She really wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine," Booth answered. "Good as new."

"That's twice you've been shot for me," Cleo said. "I'm starting to feel I won't be able to pay you back."

"It's nothing," Booth dismissed. He tried to get Sweets's attention. Cleo should not be here. It was not safe.

"I gotta get some water or something," Sweets said, oblivious. "I'll be back."

"You shouldn't be here," Booth said to Cleo. He kept looking at the door anxiously. They were watching. He knew they were. Not only did they have firefighters on their team, they had doctors too.

"Booth, are you okay?" Brennan asked.

"I'm just tired of lying down," Booth answered. He moved to get up.

"I really don't think..." Brennan started.

"Well, well, well," Jimmy said, entering then. Cleo screamed. Booth heard the gunshot go off in the hallway, knowing that some poor person had been shot coming to assist Cleo. He desperately hoped it wasn't Sweets.

"Booth?" Brennan asked.

"Ask and you shall receive. That was too easy," Jimmy commented. He snapped his fingers at one of his helpers.

"NO!" Cleo screamed as Jimmy's henchman picked her up. Booth held Brennan back so she couldn't attack him.

"Booth! Stop him!" she shouted. Jimmy held Booth's gaze, knowing that Booth knew he couldn't do anything.

"SEELEY!"

Cleo's anguished screams were killing him, though. She used his first name too. Booth wished he could tell her he had a plan, that he was going to save her.

"Booth! Do something! Anything!" Brennan shrieked. The four men had their guns trained on them, and Booth knew better than to move. One of them had his bomb detonator. One of them was going to kill him once Cleo was gone. He just knew it. He forced himself to catch Cleo's terrified gaze.

 _Trust me_ , he mouthed. For a second, her eyes registered what he'd told her. It still didn't calm her down, though.

"Be a good boy, Booth," Jimmy said, his meaning clear. "Don't follow us." He turned to follow his men. As he went through the door, though, Booth saw him pull out something and press it, giving Booth a sideways smirk. His head began to pulse. He knew his bomb had been activated.

"Booth!" Brennan cried. He grabbed her hand and pulled her along with him hurriedly in the opposite direction once Jimmy and his crew were out of sight.

"Where are we going?" she asked. "Cleo is going that way!"

"Trust me, Bones," he told her. He found the room he was looking for and shut the door, shoving a chair under the handle.

"Why are we hiding? Booth? Answer me!" she shouted angrily.

He had to deactivate the bomb. He had to find a way. He looked at the defibrillators on the wall and yanked one off and started messing with it. Jimmy had triggered the bomb, he knew it. He'd gotten what he wanted, so there was no reason to keep Booth alive any longer. He had no idea how long he had to live. The pulse was getting worse. The pain in his back was excruciating, but he dismissed it.

"What are you doing?" Brennan asked as he frantically worked.

"They put a bomb in my head, Bones," Booth answered, working hard still. His breaths were coming in short and fast.

"What?! When did they...?"

"No time for that," Booth cut her off. "He triggered it. I have to deactivate it."

"How are you going to do that?" she asked, fearful. Somehow, she knew his answer before he gave it just by watching what he was doing. Her mind was racing. Then, she remembered the hole in Booth's head. The victim's small hole made sense now. He'd had a bomb in his head too. His terrified expression made sense now.

"I'm going to electrocute myself," he answered, finally succeeding in rigging the thing. He looked at her finally.

"What?" she asked, not hearing him properly.

"My brain is going to explode, just like our victim's did. I have to do this now," he urged. The pulsing was louder and faster now.

"But..."

"Bring me back," he told her, grabbing her hands. "Resuscitate me after. I know you can do it."

"Booth..."

"Bones, turn it on and then off, do you understand?" Booth said fiercely, gasping now. The pain was becoming unbearable. She was trying not to cry.

"Okay. I understand," she nodded finally. " On then off." He grasped her face with his hands, fear in his own eyes.

"I trust you," he said. "With my life. Always have, always will. Bring me back."

"I will," she said, strongly this time. He gave her one last kiss, knowing that it could potentially be his last kiss with her ever. He tasted her tears as they slid down her cheek and into her mouth. He pulled back then, praying to God that this would work. There was a roaring sound coming in his ears. It was now or never.

"Bones, I love you, okay? So much. Since day one. Just...just in case," he said. Then, he put the piece he created in his mouth and gestured her to do it, squeezing his eyes shut.

"I love you," she gasped right as she activated the defibrillator. They were the last words he heard as he hit the floor.

 **...**

Cleo felt nothing. She had been thrown in the trunk of Jimmy's car and was sliding around in it now. Booth had let her down. He hadn't saved her. The fact that he had mouthed "Trust me" to her meant nothing. He wasn't going to save her. She had to save herself. She began to root around where the latch of the trunk was. She didn't care that she was moving very fast. If she died jumping out of this car, then at least she wouldn't die a tortured death.

...

Brennan immediately turned off the defibrillator once Booth hit the ground. She worked hard to stop her tears, but watching Booth die in front of her was something she had never wanted to experience, and it was still shocking her. His eyes staring at nothing didn't help. She flipped him onto his back.

"Booth!" she cried. "Hang on!" She fumbled with the defibrillator, hooking it to him. After failing to make it work, she yanked it off and started to do manual compressions. She needed him to come back. She needed him. There was no life without Seeley Booth.

"Come on! Come on, Booth! Come back!" she shouted, compressing harder and faster. Breaths, compressions, breaths, compressions... She knew she was running out of time before Booth was really gone, before Jimmy hurt Cleo, before they could find her in time. She started slamming her fist against Booth's chest, screaming his name. Right when she felt like nothing was going to bring him back, like she'd lost him forever, Booth jolted awake and sat up, gasping. Brennan tumbled backwards and landed hard on her bottom on the floor. He looked around, grabbing at his chest. It hurt like hell where she'd been working on it.

"Booth," she whispered. He looked at her then.

"Bones," he said.

"Oh thank God," she whimpered. She didn't use that phrase a lot, but this time, she was very grateful that Booth's God had let him come back to her. She threw herself into his arms. He buried his face into her neck.

"I thought I had lost you," she whispered, crying. "You weren't responding to CPR."

"I'm here," he said, holding her tightly. "I'm back. You brought me back. I knew you could."

"What do we do now?" she asked.

"We go get our girl back," he answered.

* * *

 **Yes, I was inspired, borrowed and greatly modified the idea from Mission Impossible 3 of the whole bomb in the brain thing to fit my story, which if you haven't seen that movie, it's freaking intense! Anyhow, thanks for reading!**

 **Songs that inspired this chapter: Canyon Battle and I'm Sending You Away by M83 (Oblivion soundtrack).**


	7. The Real Villain

Dr. Sweets had never seen anything like that before. He had simply gone to find a glass of water, and all hell had broken loose. He had been bending over the fountain when the men marched by him towards Booth's room, and when Cleo started screaming, his feet rooted him to the floor. The nurse who had ran to assist was shot in front of his eyes. Sweets felt like he was choking, and he sank to the floor behind the counter so that when the henchman came out swinging his gun, Sweets was out of sight. He crawled towards the nurse's desk, carefully avoiding the blood that was running everywhere. He checked her vitals, but she was already gone. Sweets held back the urge to vomit, and instead crawled under her desk so as not to be seen. Her blood was on his hands, but he did nothing to wipe it off. He felt in shock. He had seen Pam Nunan get shot before his eyes, but this was somehow different. This nurse was innocent. She had done nothing wrong, certainly not attempted murder at least. Sweets regulated his breathing, knowing that he needed to stay focused. After a few moments, he heard the men come out with a shrieking Cleo.

"Nobody move! You move, she dies!" he heard a man shout. Sweets wondered how many others were standing by watching this. He carefully lifted his head to see four men and a very tall man leave with Cleo kicking and fighting between them. They hadn't seen him.

"Booth!" Brennan's voice shouted. Sweets felt his blood run cold. Had he been killed?! He went to shout back at them when Brennan continued.

"Where are you going? Cleo's going that way!"

Their voices disappeared. He wondered why Booth wasn't chasing after Cleo, why Cleo had been taken in the first place. He knew Booth was a little more vulnerable than usual, but he was still usually very good at his job. Sweets saw no other choice. He was going to have to follow Cleo on his own. He picked himself up and stumbled to the exit, avoiding looking at the dead nurse. He crashed through the doors, sweeping the parking lot with his eyes. A black sedan squealed away, and Sweets just knew that Cleo was in that trunk.

"I'm coming, Cleo," he said, hardening his resolve. He raced to his own car, hell bent on catching them. He phoned in to the police, giving the make and model of the car and releasing details that a hostage was in that car. Then he gunned his car and took off after them.

...

Cleo succeeded in unlatching the trunk. Now, she was mentally preparing herself for the jump. It was scaring the hell out of her. She wanted out of this car, but she didn't exactly want to die either. If they would just slow down a little, she could hop out. That didn't seem to be the case, though. She held the trunk up a little so she could see the cars behind her. Jimmy was driving like a maniac, and lots of cars were swerving to avoid being hit. One car was following them, though, and from where she was, she saw that it was Dr. Sweets. He was coming to save her. She felt relief wash over her like cold water. She wasn't alone in this. Someone was coming. She heard sirens then, too. Police. They'd stop Jimmy's car. She decided to hunker down again to wait for when they stopped. Then she'd make a run for it.

...

Booth felt very woozy as they made their way to Brennan's car.

"I'm driving," she said. He didn't argue. He didn't think he could anyway. He got in next to her, and she reached to open the glove compartment, revealing a pistol inside.

"Bones! You drive around with that?!" he exclaimed.

"Do you wish I didn't have it right now?" she challenged.

"No," he shook his head, grabbing it and loading it.

"I thought so," she said, throwing her car into gear and hauling ass out of the hospital parking lot. "Where is he taking her?"

"My guess is where the bomb is," Booth answered.

"Do we know where that is?!"

"I'm calling Hodgins right now," Booth said, dialing.

"Dr. Hodgins."

"Bug boy, it's me. Do you have the location of that bomb yet?"

"Booth! Thank God! I've been trying to get a hold of you for an hour!"

"Where's the bomb, Hodgins?!"

"It's...it's at the White House."

Booth felt his blood run cold. He turned to face Brennan, who was staring at him. She'd heard him say it.

"Thanks," Booth said, hanging up.

"The White House," Brennan repeated.

"We're in for a shit show," Booth said, dialing his phone again. He needed to get a hold of the Secret Service.

...

Hodgins was a little disgruntled. Booth hadn't asked him _where_ in the White House, and he knew exactly where that bomb was lying in wait. It was the only place that made sense. He knew he shouldn't be jumping to conclusions, but at a time like this, a guess might save them all. He tried calling back, but Booth didn't answer.

"Damn it!" he shouted, banging his fist on his table. He made up his mind. He'd have to meet them there.

"Where are you going?" Angela asked, seeing him race by.

"To help Booth save us!" he shouted.

"Wait! I'm coming too!" she cried, chasing after him. He didn't argue. It wouldn't hurt to have an extra pair of eyes.

...

Sweets wasn't sure what was happening when Jimmy's car suddenly disappeared. He blinked. It had been right there in front of him, but now it was gone.

"No!" he shouted, banging his fist against the steering wheel. He had been so close. His phone rang then, and he answered reluctantly.

"Sweets, where are you?" Booth's voice asked.

"Oh thank God," Sweets declared. "Where are you?!"

"Where are _you_?" Booth asked again.

"I..." Sweets trailed off. Where the hell was he?! He swiveled his head, spying something finally. "I'm by your favorite pizza place."

"Got it," Booth said. "Look, the bomb's at the White House..."

"The White House?!" Sweets shouted, cutting him off. He felt horror suddenly.

"That's where they're taking Cleo," Booth finished. "That's where Bones and I are heading."

"I'll meet you there," Sweets said, turning his car onto the street that would lead him there.

"Stay covert, got it?"

"Got it."

Sweets hung up feeling very shaky suddenly. He was rushing head first into what seemed like imminent death, but he wasn't going down without a fight.

...

Cleo didn't make it very far before she was tackled. She had no idea where she was. First she was outside, then a hood was over her head, and then she was in some sort of tunnel.

"Finally. Thought you weren't keeping your end of the deal," a male voice said. He turned to face her, and Cleo felt the shock wave hit her so hard her knees buckled a little. The henchman held her upright.

"Amon," she whispered. He smiled in return.

"Cleopatra," he said back, coming closer. "I thought I would never see you again."

"Y-you're dead," she stuttered. She felt the grief from her eight year old self hit her hard.

"It appeared that way, yes, but it was faked," Amon explained.

"Why?"

"I needed to be dead so that I could live."

"You're insane. What are you doing?" Cleo asked, looking around and seeing the bomb. "You're going to kill lots of people!"

"It is what it is," Amon shrugged. "That's the calling. I only made the bomb, I'm not making it go off. I'm sorry your adopted father had to die. He was going to blab."

"Okay, genius," Jimmy snapped. "You got the girl, now I want the bomb. That was the deal!"

"It's here as you requested. Have at it," Amon pointed. He took Cleo from the henchman and started to leave the tunnel with her as Jimmy went to look at his prize. Cleo didn't miss the huge grin on his face. All he had to do now was get it upstairs. He had some indoor help with that once the guy showed up again. They wouldn't have gotten it this far without him.

"We can't let them detonate it!" Cleo shouted, trying to wrench from his grip. Amon held on tightly.

"We can live our lives together like we talked about," he said. "Little sister, we're finally a family again."

"I don't want to be a family with someone who's a murderer!" Cleo shouted. She kicked him in the kneecap then, and when he buckled from the pain, she sprinted away.

...

Booth and Brennan got to the White House the same time Sweets did. They all got out, scanning the grounds.

"It looks normal," Brennan noted.

"Of course it does," Booth said.

"There's a tour going on," Sweets pointed. "Lots of people there. I bet you that's how they got it inside."

"How? Security is impeccable," Brennan said.

"It's an untraceable bomb, Bones," Booth said, scanning the grounds. "And I doubt it walked through the front doors." He noticed movement on the other side of the gate.

"Stop her!" a voice shouted.

"Cleo," Booth breathed, seeing her come flying out into view on the steps of the White House. A member of the Secret Service grabbed her, making them both fall. The people on tour were staring and pointing, gasping with shock.

"Booth! Go get her!" Brennan shouted, grabbing his arm. Then, Hodgins pealed into view.

"It's in the secret tunnel!" Hodgins shouted, jumping out of his car. "The bomb's in the tunnel!"

"Shit," Booth said. Where was his help?

"Oh my God!" Angela shrieked, pointing to the man who was now hauling Cleo away.

"What?" Brennan asked.

"That's...that's one of the men," Angela stuttered.

"Who?"

"That guy right there," Angela pointed. "He's one of the men who hurt Cleo!" Booth spun to see, and his heart sank. He was looking at a member of the Secret Service who was fighting with Cleo to cooperate. She was putting up an incredible fight in return. Then Booth realized with a sinking heart that this was the same man who he had just called to alert the White House to what was happening. He raced to the gate.

"Let me in there," he ordered. The security man shook his head.

"I'm FBI, see?" Booth said, shoving his badge into the man's face. "I called ahead. There's a bomb!"

"I can't let you in, sir," the man said.

"Then how...?" Booth trailed off. He looked back to the Secret Service man again, suddenly having it dawn on him what was going on. He rejoined Brennan and the others, a plan formulating in his mind.

"What?" Brennan asked, noticing his face.

"That's how the bomb got in the White House," Booth said. "That man is a dirty agent. He helped them get it inside."

"Oh God," Angela gasped, covering her mouth.

"What are you gonna do?" Hodgins asked Booth.

"You know of another way in?" Booth countered.

"Unless you're a good climber..." Hodgins started. Booth was already scaling the fence. "Shit, he is."

Sweets decided to join him, and he surprised all of them by being just as good as Booth.

"We might get shot at," Booth warned as they neared the top. He had to get in there to warn them. Screw the guard. He could see that the Secret Service man was also trying to bring Cleo to a waiting sedan. He'd intercept.

"I'm a fast runner," Sweets said.

"Hey! You there!" the security man shouted. "Stop, or I'll shoot!" He was suddenly shot then, making Brennan and Angela cry out. Booth whipped his head to see chaos beginning to happen. He caught sight of the dirty Secret Service man shooting at his colleagues and Cleo now being stuffed into the sedan by what appeared to be a man sharing Cleo's features.

"Drop!" he ordered Sweets, letting go and landing on the grass on the other side. Bullets flew towards them then from the Secret Service inside and on the lawn. Booth was already moving. The car with Cleo was idling at the open gate that the dirty agent had opened.

"Oh my God!" Sweets shouted, hauling ass after Booth towards where Cleo was taken. Bullets whizzed past his ears.

"We need to intercept that car," Brennan ordered, racing back to hers. Angela and Hodgins joined her.

"There!" Angela shouted, pointing. Brennan gunned it towards the black sedan that was squealing away from the White House. Then, she saw Booth running and leaping, landing on the hood of the car. Angela screamed. Sweets was running behind the car but was losing steam. Brennan got behind and slowed enough for Sweets to jump into the backseat with Hodgins. They heard gunshots, and Booth came up and over the roof of the car to the back, and he was hanging on for all his might.

"FILES!" Cleo screamed, seeing him then. Booth was there. He was going to save her. Amon gave her a small shake.

"That man is not your family. I am," he said angrily. He was also wondering how the hell that man was still alive after he himself had observed the bomb being put into his head at the hospital. Jimmy had failed him twice before that. It was why he was being punished with the law instead of making a bomb go off. Amon knew better than to have hired help do a job that he could do right the first time. He should have simply visited the Ambassador himself instead of trusting Jimmy to get Cleo for him back in Afghanistan.

"No, you're wrong. He's been my family more than you ever will be," Cleo responded, hissing. The driver swerved, trying to shake Booth off. The passenger was loading his gun again.

"Once we return home, you'll see things differently. We can be a team..."

"I don't want to be on your team!" she screamed at him.

"I didn't want to do this, but I will," Amon said. He pulled out his own gun, making her scream again in terror. He aimed it at Booth hanging on and fired, shattering the glass.

"NOOO!"

Cleo looked for him, frantic.

"Shit," Booth said. He was hanging onto the flag on the trunk, his feet skidding on the pavement. The last shot had forced him to be in this position. It wasn't good. He saw Brennan behind them, and he signaled for her to get closer.

"What is he doing?!" Angela yelped.

"I think he wants to jump onto the hood of my car," Brennan answered, getting what his gesture meant.

"He's crazy," Sweets said, staring.

"Little closer," Booth said to himself. "Little closer. Come on, Bones." Finally, her car was close enough. He managed to quickly pull himself up and then push himself off, flying in the air until landed hard on her hood, grabbing at the windshield wipers to hold himself there. More bullets whizzed his way, and Brennan swerved to avoid them.

"Oh my God!" Angela was shrieking. "Brennan, slow down!"

"We're losing them," Brennan said, seeing the car ahead of them getting farther away. She saw Booth inching towards the passenger window.

"Ange, get in the back," she ordered. Angela obeyed quickly. Brennan lowered the window, and Booth slid into the seat.

"Thanks, Bones," he said as though this was an everyday occurrence.

"What do we do?"

"They're heading for the airport," Booth pointed. "Just stay low. We'll intercept there."

"Are you hurt?" Brennan asked. He shook his head.

"Just my pride," he answered. He hated that Jimmy had gotten the jump on him, but he couldn't dwell on it. His head wasn't at risk of blowing up anymore, so he was back in the game.

...

Jimmy was furious as he was arrested. Amon had tricked him. He was left to go to prison forever while Amon had the bomb. Apparently Amon had never intended on letting Jimmy use it. He was shoved down beside his remaining helpers who hadn't been shot, and the dirty Secret Service agent was there with him. He had given himself away when he had started shooting back at his own men. Jimmy's head throbbed where Amon had struck him. If he ever got out of prison, Amon was a dead man. That is if the fool didn't blow himself up first with his own bomb, which Jimmy figured was going to be the case.

* * *

 **Maybe it's unrealistic, but it's fiction after all! Please don't flame me. You may be super mad that I left Jimmy alive, but Amon, after all, is the mastermind and true villain here. Jimmy was simply a betrayed henchman who just wanted the bomb to go boom.**


	8. Cleo's Bravery

Cleo didn't want to be on the plane. She didn't want to leave D.C., and she definitely didn't want to leave Booth. Amon was on the phone, talking to someone about the bomb. Cleo knew he was going to use it, that it was his intent all along. She craned to look out the plane window, tugging on her bonds. Amon didn't trust her to not run off again, so he'd attached her to the seat securely. She was furious with him and at herself for being so helpless. It mentally put her back into all those other times she had been helpless. She felt hot boiling rage then.

"It's all set," Amon smiled, sitting across from her. She glared at him. His face was so ugly. There was a rather large scar running from his ear to his neck, and a patch of his hair never grew back, leaving his black curls looking ridiculous around it.

"I don't want any part of this," she spat at him.

"We're family, Cleopatra. Families stick together."

"And where were you when our parents were murdered, huh? Oh, that's right! You were pretending to be dead," she hissed.

"I heard what happened from a source. I went looking for you, but you were already gone. I spent years looking for you, and I finally found you. We should rejoice..."

"You found me through a guy who wanted to get a bomb from you that _you_ created!" she shrieked. "And the only reason that happened was because my adopted father was hooked into it, and the only way he knew about it was through someone else!"

"The universe put us back together," Amon argued. "Can't you see that?"

"No. The universe gave me someone who has been more of a father to me than anyone I've ever known since Papa died. I want to stay with him!"

"I can't let you."

"Yes, you can. Just let me off the plane, Amon. I won't tell him you have the bomb. I'll just go and live happily ever after."

"I'd love to believe that, but I know you, Cleo. You'll tell him, and they'll shoot me down or kill me once I land. I can't let you off this plane."

Cleo started to cry then, feeling as though her life was over. It probably was because by now someone had to have figured out Amon had the bomb. They'd die together. She would never see Booth or Brennan again. Or Sweets. The thought made her hurt so badly. They had helped her heal and trust again. She had to do something. Her mind was whirling.

...

"Great, thanks Cam," Booth said, hanging up.

"What did she have to say?" Brennan asked. They were all huddled in her car, waiting to approach the private plane on the runway.

"She said her source told her there was no bomb found at the White House," Booth answered.

"But...we know it was there," Hodgins argued.

"That means..." Angela started.

"It's on the plane," Sweets finished. "Oh my God."

"He's taking it elsewhere to detonate it," Booth commented. He steadied his shaking hands. Cleo was on that plane. He had to get her off it.

"Stop him," Angela ordered. "Stop him now!"

"I'm thinking, Ange. Give me a second," Booth said. "I can't just go charging up there. He'll probably kill her."

"Why is he even taking her? Who is he?" Brennan asked.

"I have a hunch," Booth said, moving to get out. It was now or never.

"Care to share?" Hodgins asked. Booth didn't answer. He made his way towards the plane, his mind working overtime.

...

Cleo could see the bomb from where she was sitting. It really was an ugly little thing. She wanted to kick it off the plane so that the feds could find it. If she wasn't bound...

"Time to get out of here," Amon said, getting up and going to the pilot. "I am co-pilot, so I'll be back once we're in the air." Cleo waited for him to leave before twisting to get the knife out of her shoe. She had started keeping one on her for self-defense since Booth brought her back from Afghanistan. She managed to cut herself loose and went to kneel in front of the bomb. The best thing would be to make it go off while they were flying. That way, no one else would get hurt. She tried not to think about the fact that she was killing herself, but she couldn't let other innocent people die. Booth would be proud of her. She examined it before figuring out how to turn it on. She pressed the button, giving them ten minutes. Then she slid it under the seat and went back to hers. Her heart was pounding. She had ten minutes left to live.

...

Booth was so close to the plane by now, but he had been spotted. A man stuck his arm out the window and shot at him. Booth ducked and went for cover. The stairs to the plane were ascending, and he needed to get on. He raced to them, jumping and grabbing them. He lost his gun in the process. He scrambled to get higher up the stairs before it closed on him. He landed harshly on the ground of the plane.

"Files!" Cleo exclaimed. Booth looked up and was immediately punched by a man.

"You fool!" Amon shouted. He pulled out his gun, but Cleo attacked him from behind, making it go off and reverberate around the plane before landing on a seat. Amon threw her off, and she landed hard on her back. Winded, she tried to get up again. Amon kicked her in the ribs with all his might. She collapsed, knowing she couldn't get up. She could see the bomb timer counting down. Seven more minutes.

Booth got into a fistfight with Amon then, and it looked like he was winning until Amon kneed him in the back where he'd been shot. Booth cried out and fell forward. Amon landed on him and wrapped his arm around Booth's neck, choking him. Cleo started to crawl to where Amon's gun had landed, trying not to bring attention on herself. Booth managed to twist around and block Amon's blows, kicking him up and over his head. Amon crashed hard. Booth could feel the plane starting to turn and prepare for take off.

"That's not good," he said to himself.

...

"What do we do?!" Angela cried, gripping Hodgins's arm. Brennan was fighting back the tears, knowing that Booth was most likely in danger. She couldn't get on the plane to help him, though, so she felt incredibly helpless. Sweets gripped her shoulder, knowing she would be experiencing these feelings. He was just as scared.

"Come on, Booth," she whispered. "Come back to me."

...

Booth threw Amon to the back of the plane as hard as he could before grabbing Cleo and and yanking open the emergency door. She screamed, seeing that they were moving.

"Do you trust me?!" he shouted into the wind. They looked at each other.

"Yes!" she shouted back.

"Hold on!"

...

It all happened in slow motion. Brennan watched as Booth appeared with Cleo as the plane started to move, and she watched as he jumped holding Cleo in his arms. She watched as they landed, Booth doing his best to protect Cleo with his body, and she watched as they rolled and rolled until they stopped. She watched as Cleo got up and Booth didn't. She was already running towards them, her legs acting as though they were dragging through quick sand. She heard Sweets, Hodgins, and Angela shouting behind her. The plane had taken off now, and Amon had managed to shut the door.

"Booth!" Brennan shouted, skidding to a stop onto her knees beside him. She pulled him up into her arms, shaking him. "Booth!"

Cleo was crying now. Angela pulled her into a tight embrace. Sweets and Hodgins watched, feeling useless.

"Come on, Booth," Brennan said, laying him back down and feeling for his vitals. "Come back to me." He had a pulse, which was reassuring. He groaned finally.

"Bones."

"You're okay," Brennan said, gripping his face with her hands. He opened his eyes.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," he told her.

"You did it, Booth. You saved Cleo."

"I failed, though. He's got the bomb."

"I'll call it in," Sweets said immediately, relieved that Booth was okay. "They'll pick him up when he lands."

"We don't even know where he's going," Hodgins pointed out, making Sweets droop.

"You don't have to," Cleo said, tugging on Booth's arm. "Look up."

They all looked up in time to see Amon's airplane explode into a gigantic ball of red fire. Sweets's jaw dropped to his chest. Hodgins started to laugh. Angela made no sound at all, and Booth and Brennan simply stared.

"You activated the bomb," Booth said finally, looking at Cleo.

"I had to do something," she shrugged.

"But...you were going to be on that plane..." Angela trailed off, feeling emotional suddenly.

"I know," Cleo said softly. "I would sacrifice myself if it meant saving thousands or millions of others." Booth grabbed her into a bear hug then, rocking her back and forth. She started to cry again.

"My brave girl," he kept saying. "My brave, brave girl."

"I am brave," she said, nodding into his chest. "I am." She finally believed it.

"Who was he?" Brennan asked, wanting to know.

"He was my brother," Cleo answered. Angela gasped.

"I knew it," Booth said. "The moment I saw him taking you away, I knew he was related to you."

"Why didn't you tell me you had a brother?" Sweets asked. In all their time spent together, she'd never once mentioned it.

"Because I guess his death was really the start of everything going terrible in my life, and I didn't want to deal with it yet."

"But...he's not dead," Angela pointed out.

"Um, he is now, Ange," Hodgins gestured.

"Oh. Right..."

"He said he faked his death in order to live. He was ten years older than me, and I guess he was into things I had no knowledge of. He made that bomb, Files. He was supposed to sell it to Jimmy, but he kept it."

"I bet Jimmy's real pissed," Sweets smirked.

"Jimmy's going away for a long, long time," Booth said, remembering Cam had said he was among the arrested. "I'm going to find out how many other people out there he's controlling with bombs in their heads. He'll never see daylight again."

"Well, technically he will," Brennan said logically. "Through his cell window."

"It's a metaphor, Bones," Booth groaned.

"It's a bad one."

Emergency services arrived then due to reports of the explosion in the sky. Booth was looked at as he had cuts on his face and arms. Cleo was as well for her bruises from the fall. Everyone gave their statement to the police about what happened. Once it was all sorted out, Booth encircled Brennan with his arms.

"You ready to go home?" he asked, nuzzling her neck with his face.

"I'm more than ready," she nodded. Cleo joined them, her wrist wrapped tightly, and Booth took her good hand in his.

"You wanna stay with me?" he asked.

"I want to stay with you both," she said. "You're staying together, right?"

"I think so," Brennan answered, looking at Booth, who was staring back at her.

"I would never dream of leaving you," Booth said solemnly.

"Then we can tell my social worker that I have a home," Cleo said happily. "You guys are my home."

"And we couldn't be more happy about it," Booth smiled at her. "Welcome to the family, Cleo."

"Thanks, Files," she smirked. Booth tousled her hair, making her protest. He put his arms around Brennan and Cleo, and together they walked towards Brennan's car. The light in the sky from the explosion was now fading in the distance.

* * *

 **One chapter left, folks. I have thoroughly enjoyed writing this story for you guys.**


	9. Finally Home

Booth was staring at the binder on his desk. Now that his case was over, he knew what was to come next. The rage and nausea inside of him was not helping.

"Hey," Sweets said, sticking his head past the door. "I thought you might use some help."

"I can't even open it," Booth said, jabbing the binder with his finger. "Maybe Cleo has managed to work through this, but I don't know if I can."

"They're bad guys, Booth. Just look at them like that. Bad guys who need to be rounded up and put away," Sweets said, coming in fully now. "If you give them your emotion, it'll make it harder."

"I want to kill them," Booth admitted. "How can anyone hurt a kid like that? Or in any way for that matter? Kids are...are..."

"Innocent human beings who are just trying to learn and grow into the people they want to be," Sweets answered. "I know. This one hits close to home a little for me too."

Booth was squeezing his stress ball very hard. Sweets imagined that Booth was pretending it was their faces.

"Should we get started?" Sweets pressed. "We did promise Cleo."

"We?"

"Yes. I promised her I would help too."

"All right then. Let's go."

...

It felt like a dream in some ways. Booth headed for each man's home and then place of work if they weren't there. Some cried. Some got angry and tried to run, and Booth favored these ones as he could tackle them down hard. Others sat in a stony silence and stared at nothing while his home was searched. One man cried and gave a list of new names for them to hunt down. Sweets made sure to connect with all the victims and made the request to be their therapist to help them with their treatment.

"That's all and then some," Sweets said after returning to the office and finding Booth. "That must feel good."

"They'll never forget it," Booth responded. He couldn't get the sick feeling in his stomach to go away.

"No, but they're still young enough that I can start saving and re-building self-esteem and work through the trauma with them so maybe there's a chance they won't be completely scarred forever," Sweets offered. "I have to believe there is hope."

"You'll do good," Booth nodded. He knew Sweets would. Booth had Cleo as proof that he was doing well.

...

Cleo was sitting at the table, head bent over an attempted drawing she was doing. Brennan had taken the day off since the case was over. She was working on her new novel. Booth came home just before dinner, and Cleo looked up at him when he stood in front of her.

"You got them," she said softly, seeing it in his eyes.

"Every last one, and then some," he answered. Cleo was surprised but not surprised. Booth squeezed her shoulder as he walked by, off to find Brennan. She was typing furiously in the other room.

"Hey," he said. She turned to look at him.

"Hi. Are you okay?" she asked, frowning at his facial expression.

"Just a really heavy day," he answered. She stood and wrapped her arms around him tightly. He rested his chin on top of her head. Even though it was over, he still felt as though he hadn't done enough.

...

"Aw, man!" Parker shouted as the soccer ball soared past him. Cleo was laughing. Brennan chuckled as Booth got involved and played keep away with the two of them. Parker had taken to Cleo very quickly, and they were becoming fast friends. They were currently at the park enjoying a lazy Saturday. Booth had requested a small leave, and Brennan didn't have any current cases that needed her attention. She knew Booth had been to see Cleo's social worker to discuss future plans. He had first asked her if their relationship was serious.

"Of course it is," she had answered, smiling. "I love you, Booth. I'm never changing my mind."

"Me either," he had grinned. Needless to say, that night had been very pleasurable for both of them.

Now, Brennan laughed as Parker and Cleo tackled his legs and knocked him down. Parker then stole the ball with Cleo chasing after him. Booth stayed on his stomach, watching. There was a big grin on his face. Brennan went over to him.

"Looks like you lost," she commented. She sat down beside him on the grass.

"Eh, if it means they're having fun, then I don't mind," he answered.

"Have you talked to her yet?"

"No. I'm saving it for later after Parker goes back with Rebecca."

"Do you think she'll be pleased?"

"I really hope so," Booth replied.

...

"What's up, Files?" Cleo asked when Booth knocked on her door later that night.

"Do you have time to chat?"

"Always. Is it about a new case? I'd love to help."

"I'm sure you would. I'm actually not working right now, so this is a personal call."

"Oh. You seem serious," Cleo said, sitting up straight. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach. He was going to tell her he couldn't keep her, that there was no way for it to happen. She felt her throat tighten.

"Well, it is a serious matter, and I want to know what you think," Booth went on. She stared, not saying anything. She didn't trust her voice.

"Cleo, I want to adopt you," Booth said, looking at her. "If you want to be, that is." She felt the words reverberate around the room before sinking in.

"Yes," she said instantly, bursting into tears. Booth was taken aback, wondering why she was upset about it.

"Are you sure? I...I thought you'd be happy..."

"I am happy, dork," she cut him off, wiping at her eyes. "These are happy tears, which I can honestly say I've never had before."

"Oh," he said, getting it. "Sorry." She laughed and hugged him.

"I thought you'd never ask," she said after.

"Well, here we are," he smiled.

"Do I have to call you Dad? I actually prefer Files..."

"Oh come on," Booth whined. He had been hoping to get rid of the nickname for good.

"What? It's one of a kind, like Bones."

"She has a point," Brennan cut in from the doorway. She smirked at him.

"Ugh, you two," Booth groaned.

"You love it," Cleo teased.

"Good night," Booth said, getting up to leave.

"You really do!" Cleo called after him. He closed the door behind him. Brennan stood in front of him, starting to laugh.

"Okay, I don't mind it, but don't ever tell her that," Booth warned.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Brennan shook her head. Booth kissed her then, feeling lucky that everything was falling into place. The future looked good.

 **The End**

* * *

 **A HUGE thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited! I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I know some events seemed unbelievable, but that's fiction for ya. Just like movies ;) I am contemplating writing a sequel one day. What do you think? Until next time!**


End file.
